Star Fox: Revival
by FoxMcCloud7921
Summary: Weeks after Brynhilde's defeat at Cerinia, the Star Fox team now has part of a map leading to a vector that contains the true source of the Cerinians' power, supposedly hidden away years ago. However, they are not alone in the search and soon it becomes a race to determine the ultimate fate of the planet Cerinia.
1. Prologue

(A/N: For this part here, the song I'm using is "Revival" from Halo 4.)

* * *

Prologue

_Cerinia, minutes before self-destruction_

*Tacitus had done all he could in the last half hour but it was too late. He stood in his underground lab, contemplating his final moments. _"I have two choices…" _he thought. _"I can either die here along with my people, or I can take the chance of surviving but in the same process possibly being the last of my kind." _He wasn't afraid of dying but he knew if he did, he certainly wouldn't be welcomed where he was going. No, maybe just maybe, he could do one last good thing for his people.

His latest regret was ever listening to that damn ape, Andross. Andross somehow knew how to manipulate him, using his past biasness against Corneria to his own advantage. And in the process of creating what would turn out to be a deadly weapon, not only was Andross now dead, which made the whole thing pointless now, but he himself also would be the death of his entire planet. Now that he thought about it, maybe that's what Andross wanted in the end. What a conniving bastard…

The truth was he had done his weapon in secret. No one except his own brother was aware of such a creation, although to be fair his brother did not know until the end that it was even a weapon. He did feel sadness for his brother, his wife and their daughter, Krystal. Maybe they would make it out in time… maybe not. Well, he'd see them again one way or another soon enough.

Tacitus looked to the pod he had created months ago. It was supposed to be an escape pod but it wouldn't be leaving the planet it seemed. However, it was constructed of the strongest metal in the entire galaxy. He sighed sadly and went to it, finally stepping inside. The moment was close in hand…

He pushed a few buttons in the pod and secured himself against the back of it as the door closed and his body and wrists were secured. There was enough oxygen to last a few hours. He just hoped the thrusters would make it through. He wouldn't know what it was like to be caught up in an explosion. Usually you see it for a second and then there's only darkness. He waited and braced himself.

Minutes passed by and nothing happened. Had anything happened? Maybe it was just his mind trying to calm him. Strangely he was becoming impatient, and deciding against his best judgment, he pushed a button that allowed him to see what was happening outside…

Only to see white in front of him. No darkness of space. Only white. How could this be, he thought. Maybe he was dead and for some reason his brain was making it seem like he was still alive. _"Well, only one way to find out…" _he thought.

He disabled the lock and slowly the door opened. There was no vacuum of space, nor did he freeze to death or have the oxygen sucked out of him. He cautiously took a step out and found himself touching ground, even though he couldn't see it. "What is this place…?" he said.

Then he heard them. Voices, calling out from everywhere. Were these the voices of the recently departed but some spoke to him, others seemed to be speaking to other voices.

Perhaps this was his punishment now, to be stuck in limbo and have the voices of those he unintentionally slaughtered drive him insane. "I am sorry…" he said, his voice full of regret. "It is my fault and I deserve any punishment I receive."

That seemed to satisfy them, as the voices disappeared. But it wasn't long before new ones came to him, not to scorn him but to comfort him. Strange indeed… They told him he was not dead but, as he figured, stuck in a limbo. But someday he would be able to go back.

"I understand," Tacitus said. "But… why?"

The voices said that the weapon caused an unnatural event. The planet was never destroyed… it somehow was now in a new dimension. It almost seemed laughable, but at this point anything seemed possible. "I have done the impossible," Tacitus said. "And yet, it doesn't bring back the people I care about…"

He was then reassured one day they would come back. And he, Tacitus, can lead them to a bright future. "If this will right all the sins I've committed, I will do whatever I can…" Tacitus said. For now, it was time to go to sleep. He would be awakened in due time.

Tacitus nodded and returned to his pod. The doors behind him closed and suddenly the pod filled up with gas. Tacitus felt his eyes drooping but only one thought stayed in his mind as sleep took him.

_I will be the one to bring glory back to the Cerinian people…_

**Star Fox  
**Revival

* * *

(A/N: Hey guys, so I bet you were all wondering why it took so long to come out with this sequel. Well, as I've said countless times, I've gotten tied up with different things and with this particular story I was going to wait a bit. Now I think is a good time to start working on it. By the way, I realize I may have gotten the timeline screwed up behind the first story and this one so I'll make it clear: the events of Cerinian being "destroyed" (remember, they haven't confirmed what happened to the planet but saying "doomed" usually means something pretty bad) were shortly before Star Fox Adventures because I really don't think Krystal would be traveling around the system for X amount of years or months. Still, like I said, it hasn't been completely confirmed yet. Anyway, just wanted to get that out of the way. Hope you all enjoy this story and as always I do not own Star Fox but I will try to keep it as in-character as I can. This is FoxMcCloud7921 signing off.)


	2. Sleepless Nights

Chapter 1: Sleepless Nights

_Deep Space_

Krystal rubbed her eyes for what felt like the fourth time in the last twenty minutes. That's how long she had been in the computer room on the _Great Fox II. _She was currently staring at the map that General Brynhilde had previously held. It was a map of the Lylat System, but what was different about this one was the fact that there appeared to be beacons coming from four different planets: Fortuna, Titania, Sauria, and Venom.

As Brynhilde had mentioned, this map was incomplete. There were clues on each of these planets that would complete it and would lead to coordinates that would show a place where supposedly Cerinian technology was being held. As far as Krystal knew, there weren't any planets in the system that hadn't been discovered, but it wouldn't make any sense for these planets to have been left clues if this place, whether it was a planet, planetoid, or meteor for that matter, was in a different system.

"You know, Peppy's going to start feeling threatened if he keeps seeing you in here." Krystal smiled slightly and turned her chair to see Fox staring at her from the door.

"Sorry," Krystal said. "I guess I have been coming in here more and more often."

"You really should get some sleep," Fox said as he came in and stood next to her. "Still nothing huh?"

"No," Krystal said. "I've been thinking a lot but nothing from my past comes close to referencing this. Part of me wonders if my parents knew about this."

"It's possible," Fox said. "Then again, if the Cerinians have been around for so many generations, then it's possible the information could have been forgotten."

"I still don't understand how Brynhilde found this," Krystal said. "Did he know about this before Cerinia even returned?"

"I don't know, but let's be glad he no longer has this information," Fox replied. "Now that I think about it, I remember seeing pictures on Cerinia that resembled the Krazoa. Could they have played a part in this?"

"I guess we would have to ask them," Krystal said. She then paused. "I mean, if it's not too much trouble…"

"I suppose we could use a little downtime," Fox said, smiling. "But I think we should talk about it in the morning, when everyone else is awake. It's pretty late you know."

* * *

(A/N: For this next part, the song I'm using is "This Armour" from Halo 4.)

* * *

Krystal yawned slightly. "You're right about that," she said. "Don't worry, I'll join you shortly. Just a few more minutes." Fox nodded and then left the room. *Krystal looked at the screen again, her thoughts once again flying through her mind. _"Mother…Father," _she thought. _"I know you may not have the answers but… what does this all mean… and why go to all the trouble?"  
_

* * *

_Macbeth Space_

The ship _Valiant Edge _was sitting on the edge of space, as if waiting. It was an impressive freighter, not quite as big as a standard Cornerian freighter but it could hold itself in a fight if it needed to, although of course some of the weapon modifications would be termed illegal by current Cornerian laws. The same could be said about its engines.

Raynar Zaul was in his office, holding a glass of Scotch while looking out the window behind his desk that showed the full picture of Macbeth. Even though he called it his office, it was more like a Command room, where Admirals and such would view the current events of a battle or strategize on the eve of battle.

Of course Raynar, who was a striking Ocelot even in his late thirties, wasn't military and this wasn't originally his ship but he had enough money to buy it and give it some needed upgrades. No, he would be known as a businessman but underneath it all even that was fake. He was a brilliant hacker back in his younger days and managed to slip into a few bank accounts.

One would call him a thief if they knew his true colors, but he did not steal from just anyone. He stole from the biggest corporations, not enough to catch anyone's attention but at best wonder if there was a glitch. And most of it he kept, although he did donate some to certain charities. He actually meant well in his actions, but he also had a reputation to keep up.

His faux career was an inside trading broker, and he has helped many businesses, even governments, who have had financial issues and the truth was, he was pretty good with working with money. His biggest accomplishment, in his mind, was Corneria right after the Aparoid War. Corneria, as well as the entire Lylat System, was devastated by the time the war came to an end, and it was no easy challenge, even for Zaul.

Surprising everyone, he actually donated a large amount of his money to bail out the Cornerian government. Of course, once things started to recover, he got at least some of his money back but it was no concern to him. He had bigger things coming on the horizon.

Suddenly, his intercom went off. "Mr. Zaul, the governor just called to confirm if your meeting with him tomorrow is still on?" His secretary, a dedicated white poodle, was always quick to contact him if anything and that meant _anything, _happened. She was well paid for it too.

Zaul smiled and answered. "Yes Julie, we are and you can tell him to relax as well."

"Understood sir."

Zaul chuckled and took a sip of his glass. Yes, things seemed pretty well right now but something had come up that had caught his attention. "So, from what you were saying, this undiscovered technology could put us almost two hundred years ahead of our time?"

He was talking to someone who had been for the last half hour sitting in the darkness. No one would have seen him because one, he was so quiet and two, he was wearing a black cloak to conceal himself. "Perhaps even three hundred," the figure said. "And if you were the one to find it and unveil it, imagine what that could do for your business…"

"You make a good point," Zaul said. "Of course, I'm surprised you found out this data in the first place. Corneria has said nothing about it."

"That's because even they don't know what it is," the figure said. "But I do, very much. But I should warn you, Fox McCloud and his team have this information as well."

"Yes, that could prove to be a problem," Zaul pondered to himself. "I rather not even resort to violence. So, there actually is another copy of the map?"

"I would not know the exact number but it is possible."

"Then I think I know just the place to find it…"

* * *

_Outpost Station 1137, Fichina Space_

If one had to know what was the most boring, yet paid well job in the Lylat System, all they had to do was ask Stan. Stan the beagle did what most would call the most boring thing ever: he looked at a camera screen, pushed a button when a ship was coming, asked for their ship ID as well as what their cargo was, lower the shield to the docking bay, rinse an repeat.

Because this was supposed to be a highly secure station, it didn't get a lot of traffic because not everything was classified. Too bad for Stan, because with his six hour shift he rarely talked to nor saw anyone. _"Don't worry about the other guys," _they said. _"They have their own jobs to worry about."_

Still, it would've been nice to have someone, anyone, to talk to, especially if it was a nice young, hot cutie. Stan was married previously and had a daughter; in fact he always took the photo of them two to work everyday because it was the one thing that got him through the day: being able to see his daughter when he got him.

Finally, he saw a ship coming in from space and wondered if things were finally starting to pick up. "Incoming freighter, this is Outpost Station 1137, please identify yourself and your business being here." It sounded so dry, like one of those commanders from those sci-fi movies.

"_Outpost Station 1137, this is Cornerian Freighter _Cataclysm_, ID Number 3390DX5. We're here to pick up some special cargo."_

Stan checked the number. "Okay, everything seems good. So, can I ask what it is or if you had to tell me you'd kill me?" There was no response back. _"Sheesh, people these days have no sense of humor…"_ "Anyway, _Cataclysm_, you may land in Docking Bay 3."

He then lowered the force field at Docking Bay 3 and sighed. "Erin," he said, saying the name of his daughter and looking at the picture. "I don't how I keep doing it each day…"

* * *

Meanwhile, the _Cataclysm _made its way into Docking Bay 3. While this was an actual Cornerian ship, what Stan or anyone else didn't know was that the ship didn't hold a regular standard crew but instead a large commando unit.

All of them were dressed in blue armor and wore helmets that concealed all of their faces. "Alright, just to make this clear this is an in and out mission. No casualties if we can avoid them. Most of these people are non-combatants so if you have to, set to stun. Any questions?" the leader of the group asked. There was none.

As the ship landed, they all checked their weapons for the last time, making sure to take the safeties off. Soon as the ramp started to go down, the leader said, "This should be a simple routine job so let's make it quick."

* * *

(A/N: Okay, I didn't realize until I wrote the beginning of this how short it was going to be. The extra stuff I literally did on the top of my head. :D Anyway, you know me, I do like a good cliffhanger or two. So hopefully you enjoyed the chapter and I promise in the future the chapters will be longer.)

FoxMcCloud7921


	3. Old Friends, New Enemies

(A/N: So I apologize for the long wait, I can't even think what number that is now but I admit I've had a bad case of writer's block. Anyway, just so you all know in terms of this story and Resurrection, I am going to postpone working on Resurrection until I'm finished with this story. I figured it's better to focus on this story so that way I can do the same with the other. Anyway, I once again apologize for the long wait.)

* * *

Chapter 2: Old Friends, New Enemies

"_Incoming message from General Pepper, Priority One."_

Fox shot up suddenly, wondering if what he had just heard was a dream; but he saw that the console in his room was flashing, meaning a message was coming through. He then pressed a button on his console and a holographic projection of General Pepper appeared.

"General, I'm assuming this isn't a regular wake-up call," Fox said, a bit groggily.

"I apologize for the sudden awakening but we may have a situation on our hands," Pepper said.

"Understood," Fox said. "I'll have the team assembled in the meeting room in thirty minutes." Pepper nodded and the hologram disappeared. Fox then went over to where Krystal was laying and kissed her on the forehead. "Time to wake up," he said, a slight smile on his face.

Krystal groaned. "And I felt like I just went to bed…"

"I told you it was a bad idea to stay up all night," Fox said. "Something's going on and we need to be in the meeting room in thirty minutes."

"Alright… who shall I wake up then?" Krystal asked.

"Slippy and Peppy are the easier two, Falco is a different story," Fox said. "Just leave it to me."

* * *

Twenty-five minutes later, the Star Fox team was assembled in the meeting room, everyone looking lively except for Falco, who had a disgruntled look on his face.

"Sheesh, couldn't this have come up, say, an hour later?" Falco grumbled.

"Since when were you a late riser?" Fox asked.

"Eh, six in the morning is still a bit too early for me," Falco said.

"Falco, when you get to be my age, then you can complain," Peppy said.

"Yeah, yeah gramps, I get it," Falco muttered.

Fox then pushed a button on the main console and Pepper appeared on screen. "Everyone's here General."

"Good. Again I apologize for the sudden abruptness," Pepper said. "Our problem concerns Outpost Station 1137 near Fichina." A 3D model of the station appeared on screen. "Every couple hours security is supposed to check in and update conditions but we haven't heard from them in almost four hours. Outpost Station 1137 is a storage facility of the most confidential items."

"…General are you saying…?" Fox began.

"Yes, the data that you retrieved concerning Cerinia was taken there as well," Pepper said. "We don't know if this was an attack but we are sending ships in response. Considering you're in the area, we were hoping for your assistance as well."

"Of course General," Fox nodded.

"How long will it take for the other ships to arrive?" Peppy asked.

"At least two hours," Pepper said with a frown. "There's one other thing. Prior to the incident, I sent someone to the base to keep an eye on things in case an event such as this was to happen. Unfortunately I've lost contact with her as well, meaning the attackers could have jammed their comms."

"ROB, how close are we to the base?" Fox asked.

"The _Great Fox _is about fifty-two minutes from the base," ROB 64 responded.

"Alright General, we'll figure this out," Fox said.

"Thank you Star Fox, and good luck." The monitor then went dark.

"So how exactly did something that was supposed to be kept in secret get leaked out?" Falco asked.

"It's possible someone may have hacked into the system," Slippy said. "It'd be hard, but if they could find a manifesto of the items there…"

"It would tell them where to find it," Krystal said. "But why would they want to find the map?"

"You were mentioning something about Cerinian resources," Peppy reminded her. "If they're as rare as you say, they could sell well on the black market."

"But we're not going to let them," Fox said. He then looked at the model of the station. "Okay, there appear to be two docking points. We can send a three-man team via shuttle inside. There doesn't appear to be any outside defenses so we won't have to worry about being shot at, although inside is another story."

"And this person Pepper sent, can we trust her?" Falco asked.

"If she's on our side, she'll know the base better than anyone," Fox replied. "In that case, Falco, Krystal and I will go to the base. Slippy, once we get there I want to see if you get into the system and figure out how to restore communications."

"You got it," Slippy said.

"Now that I think about it," Peppy said. "If it's been five hours and communications are still down, could they still be there?"

"I have a hunch security there would be hard to crack," Fox said. "At least, let's hope that's the case. Now let's get going, we have less than an hour to prepare."

* * *

The _Great Fox _approached the Orbital Station in less than an hour. As it approached, a shuttle launched from the docking bay towards the station. "Now remember, there are most likely innocent civilians on board," Fox reminded his team as he checked the magazine of his rifle.

"How many are we talking?" Falco asked, who was currently piloting.

"It's a big station so probably dozens," Fox said.

"So in other words, wait for them to shoot at us first?" Krystal asked with a slight smirk on her face.

"I think we'll be able to tell the good guys from the bad," Fox said, giving her a look. "That looks like a good spot. Take us in Falco."

The shuttle then made its way into the somewhat empty docking bay. There were a few other ships in the hangar but nothing that resembled military. Once the shuttle landed, the side door and Fox, Krystal, and Falco made their way out, blasters at the ready.

"No greeting party here to meet us," Krystal commented.

"There's no way they couldn't have noticed us," Falco added.

"Yeah, we could have company coming soon… if they are still here," Fox said. "From what we know, the archives are deep inside the station so that's our destination."

It was then that Fox noticed a body. "Hang on." He then went over to the body of an engineer. He checked the man's pulse. "He's alive but unconscious." He then noticed the wounds. "Stun rounds… I guess our friends have a moral code after all."

"Could the others be like this?" Krystal asked.

"Let's hope so," Fox said. The station was quiet and dark, except for the emergency lighting near the doors. "We need to find the security room so we can restore power." Luckily for them, the station had signs pointing in the appropriate directions.

Once they reached the reception area, Fox looked over the corner and saw two guards standing by the door on the opposite side of the room. Fox could quickly tell these weren't your typical pirates. Judging by the armor, insignias, and weaponry, they had to be PMC.

"Looks like we're finally going up against someone above the usual scrap," Falco commented.

"Now's not the time to get cocky," Fox said. "These are trained soldiers so we have to be on our toes at all times. It looks like the rest of them went on ahead."

"Then that's probably where we need to go as well," Krystal said.

Suddenly, there was the sound of blaster fire in the distance. The two guards looked at each other and then proceeded to go through the door they were guarding. "Well, someone's putting up a fight at least," Falco said.

"Then we'll go ahead and help them," Fox said as the three of them went across the room and cautiously opened the door. However, it seemed as if the guards went on ahead. The sounds, however, were getting closer.

"It sounds like it's coming from the vents?" Krystal wondered.

"Can you get a read on them?" Fox asked.

Krystal shook her head. "Too much interference… it seems like they're being chased through the vents."

It then went quiet again as the three of them continued on. They then managed to catch up with the guards, now in a room that appeared to be going through renovations with different machinery in different parts of the room. The blaster fire then returned, louder than ever as if it was happening right above them.

Fox, Krystal, and Falco then hid behind a stacked pile of metal bars, watching as the two guards looked up in confusion at what was going on. Then there was the sound of someone being shot, a male gruff voice which caused the two to aim their weapons towards the large vent. It was then quiet again for a few moments.

Suddenly, the bottom part of the vent gave out and someone came out, landing square on the first guard, knocking the breath out of him. Fox couldn't get a good look at them due to the helmet being worn. The second guard was about to fire but the mysterious assailant was too quick as they drew a blaster and shot him three times in the chest. Either they were using highly-graded ammo or the armor wasn't as good as it looked for the blasts went through like a knife through butter. The guard being stood on was slowly recovering but the assailant, instead of shooting him, decided to save ammo and wound up kicking him in the temple, knocking him out completely.

"Not bad," Falco commented.

The assailant then looked over in their direction and Fox quickly drew a hand to his blaster. However, the assailant then holstered their blaster and slowly took off their helmet. Underneath was a face that Fox had seen twice before, and the pink fur she had was a dead giveaway.

"What took you guys so long?" Katt Monroe asked with a slight smirk.

* * *

FoxMcCloud7921


	4. 1137

(A/N: Well, before I start this next chapter, I first have to say last week gave me pause, and I think you all know what I'm thinking. I'll be perfectly honest, as awesome as Zero looks, at first I was a bit disappointed with how they were practically rebooting the whole series, but then again, Zero is not 64, at least from what I've seen and to be honest, it's probably for the best. In other words, I have to accept the fact we may not see Krystal again, or maybe I'm wrong. Either way, I'm obviously going to continue this story and Resurrection, although perhaps Zero has given me a few ideas, you'll see soon enough. Anyway, enough of the chatter, let's continue.)

* * *

Chapter 3: 1137

"Katt!?" Falco exclaimed. "What the he-!?"

"You're the one Pepper sent?" Fox asked.

"Is it really that big a surprise?" Katt smirked slightly. "Yeah, apparently I was referred to the old hound by a friend of his. I sure can't complain because the pay involved is pretty nice."

"I'm sure that didn't include the little firefight you just had," Krystal pointed out.

"No, but I needed the practice anyway," Katt said. She then looked at the dead soldiers. "Don't get me wrong though, these guys are definitely a grade up from the usual pirates; it just happens I hit the grunts of the group."

"How many more would you guess?" Fox asked.

"A lot more," Katt replied. "I had the element of surprise but somehow they picked up on me. They were heading towards the cargo elevator, that's where all the important stuff is."

"Then you know why they're here?" Falco asked.

"I wasn't told any specific details," Katt said. "But from the look of things, I'd say it's pretty important to the Cornerians."

"Well, we don't have time to waste," Fox said. "Katt, you know this place better than any of us, can you lead the way?"

"No problem," Katt said.

"About time we see some action," Falco said.

"Sorry Falco, I'm afraid you'll sit this one out for now," Fox said.

"What?"

"We need someone to watch the ship to make sure no one escapes, or for that matter, no one tries to blow us up."

"You can't be serious!" Falco snapped.

"Don't worry Falco," Katt said with a smile. "We'll have time to catch up afterward."

"Yeah…" Falco said before taking off in the opposite direction.

"You're sure about this?" Krystal asked.

"I rather not take any chances," Fox said. "These guys were clever enough to get in so smoothly, I'd hate to think what else they're capable of."

"That's the thing though," Katt said, her smile gone now. "The only reason they got in here so easily was because someone let them in."

"Any ideas?" Fox asked.

Katt shook her head. "I've only been here for about a week and there weren't any transfers since then so who knows, but believe me, I have no doubt it was someone on top here." She then looked in the opposite direction. "Before we go down there though, we need to find the control room and get security back online."

"You lead the way Katt," Fox said.

Katt led them to one of the many elevators in the station and went down to the first basement floor. "My memory isn't perfect, but security should be on this floor."

"I'm assuming the door is locked?" Krystal guessed.

"Probably," Katt replied.

"If worse comes to worst, I can have Slippy try to slip into the station's mainframe," Fox said.

Katt smiled slightly. "It's been awhile since I've seen some action, especially with you guys."

"Yeah, I guess since Titania," Fox replied.

The red sign up ahead was clear enough to tell them they had found the right spot. "Just as I guessed," Fox said. "Looks like you need ID to get in."

"Don't look at me," Katt said. "I was just supposed to keep an eye on things. They can be pretty stingy around here…"

"Fox," Krystal said. "There's someone inside there."

One would probably say, "Are you sure?" but Fox knew Krystal better than that. Fox nodded and decided to knock on the door. "Anyone in there?"

If one was quiet enough, they could've heard the slight gasp from inside. Krystal could tell the occupant was male and could hear a panicked voice. Of course, he wasn't actually talking, she was hearing his thoughts. Krystal may have found it amusing but Fox was getting impatient. "My friend knows you're in there so you may as well respond."

"…Okay fine you win, but I'm not worth the trouble, just leave me be!"

"You don't need to panic, this is Fox McCloud of the Star Fox team," Fox said. "We need your help getting security back online."

"You'll excuse me if I'm a bit cautious," the voice replied. "There's no camera right outside and I've heard it's easy to impersonate others…you know, voice recorders and stuff."

"Let me handle this," Katt said. "Listen hon, you may not know me but I can vouch for these guys."

"You're right, I don't recognize you."

"The name's Katt Monroe. Surely you've seen me around. What's yours?"

"…Stan."

"Stan the security guy?" Katt asked. "That's right, you have a wife and kids correct? We talked once or twice. Anyway, I noticed the cameras are still operational and surely you didn't miss these guys coming in did you?"

"…No, not at all! I uh… just had to be sure. Okay, I'll open the door…" The door then opened and Stan looked a bit sheepish in his chair. "Oh, yep, it's really you guys. Sorry about that, you should've just told me in the first place Miss Monroe."

"Please Stan, it's just Katt," Katt said.

"So you can tell us what happened?" Fox asked.

"Yeah…I was the one who let them in," Stan said, his head now hanging in shame. "I was following protocol but there was no way I could've known."

"You're right, you couldn't have," Fox said. "But we can still fix this. Where are they?"

"There are three basement floors on this station," Stan explained. "The main elevator on this floor is just up ahead but it only goes down to the first basement floor. It's a little trick the designers came up, which at this point is good for us because it means they have to trek along to the next one which is practically on the opposite side. I shut down security to try to hold them back but they got someone on their side breaking through. They're on the second floor and it looks like they're trying to get to the third floor."

"Then I guess there's where we're headed as well," Fox said.

"Do you have any footage from when the attack took place?" Krystal asked.

"I could go back, but why?" Stan asked.

"Stan, this was all set up on the inside," Katt said. "We need to find out who it was."

"You mean- oh no… okay, I'll go back." The monitors in the room then rewound themselves and the group saw the attack first take place."

"They didn't stand a chance," Fox said. "At least they didn't kill them."

"Hold on a second," Katt said. "Go back, second monitor to the left."

The monitor fast-forwarded for a few seconds and then played. There was no sound, but they could two security guards in front of the elevator as a woman approached them. From the sketchy quality of the camera, she looked like an Aussie and Shepherd mix. Suddenly, the woman pulled out a gun and shot them both in the head before they could even react.

"Son of a bitch…" Katt growled. "I knew something seemed off about her."

"You know her?" Krystal asked.

"Yeah, she's supposedly a doctor from the University on Corneria," Katt replied. "Dr. Kalrin Caxton, specialty archaeology. Now I know that's a bunch of bullshit."

"I thought she was cute…" Stan said meekly.

"Stan, you're married," Katt argued.

"Yeah, and that didn't stop you from flirting with me," Stan shot back.

"Hon, I do that with everyone," Katt said, a smile on her face. "Well, that answers my question then. Shall we get going?"

"I got the elevators on this floor and the first basement floor working so you can make your way down," Stan said.

"Okay." Fox then gave Stan a receiver. "Use this so we can keep in touch in case anything comes up."

"Sure, no problem," Stan said. "By the way… when this all gets resolved you'll mention me helping out right? I rather not get fired over this…"

* * *

(A/N: For this next part, the song I'm using here is "Mars" from Mass Effect 3.)

* * *

"Well he seemed nice," Krystal said as soon as they got into the elevator.

"Oh Stan? Yeah, he's a real teddy bear," Katt said. "Although I need to remind him about not staring at my ass so much."

*Once they got down to the first basement floor, the doors opened and the three of them had their guns at the ready, but no one was waiting for them. Although there appeared to be a lot of large objects covered in tarps. "Don't let your guard down," Fox said. "They're probably lying in wait."

"If they're trying to get to the third floor, that's probably where the disk is," Krystal said.

"Yeah, which is why leaving isn't an option," Fox said. Suddenly, they heard something clink against the ground and Fox was the first to see it as smoke shot out of the canister. "Smoke grenade, we got company!" Suddenly, blaster fire erupted as they were trying to take cover behind some of the bulkier artifacts.

"Well, those aren't stun rounds!" Krystal exclaimed as she returned fire.

"Yeah, sorry, I think I pissed them off!" Katt said as she was able to take two out with two rounds of her blaster.

As the smoke started to clear, Fox could see the figures, now at least five of them, huddled together behind cover. He saw one of them reach for a grenade and he managed to take him out before he threw it. Unfortunately for his friends, they weren't aware of what just happened and in three seconds the area was covered in bits of flesh and armor.

"Nice shot," Katt said.

"It's only going to get tougher from here," Fox said. "Know what's ahead?"

"Yeah, there's a series of tram cars ahead that'll take us to the other side, hopefully where the elevator is," Katt said. "We may have more company once we get there."

They soon found the tram car and Fox quickly pushed the button which closed the doors and they quickly accelerated towards the other side of the station. "That's quite the view," Krystal commented, looking out towards the window that displayed space and Fichina.

"It certainly gives you something to look at at least," Katt said. "How is Fichina this time of year anyway?"

"It's always cold," Fox said.

"Yeah, I'll take Zoness any day." Suddenly, Katt caught movement and on the opposite rail another tram was catching up to them. "Damn it, we can't risk too much gunfire here. If those windows crack we're all dead." She looked at Fox. "Got anything with a little bit more punch?"

"I got what you need," Fox said, smirking slightly as he unstrapped his rifle. "You want the honors?"

"Honey, I could kiss you." Katt took the rifle, opened the window and aimed down the scope. "But don't tell Falco I said that." She then aimed the grenade launcher attachment of the rifle and fired. The grenade hit the opposite rail and tore off a huge chunk of metal, causing the other tram to initiate the emergency brakes and stop dead center of the track.

"Nice shot," Krystal commented.

"What can I say, Falco taught me well," Katt grinned as she handed the rifle back to Fox.

Once the tram made its destination, the three of them quickly got off and headed towards the elevator dead ahead.

Suddenly, Fox's gauntlet went off. "Fox, do you copy?"

"Stan? What is it?" Fox asked.

"I have some bad news," Stan said. "I tried as hard as I could, but someone on their side managed to crack through my security and got the last elevator running. They're on their way to the third floor now and it looks like you got a party waiting for you on the second floor."  
"Great…" Fox commented.

"Sorry. However, there are some sentry guns I can try to get back online there to give you some aid but it'll take some time. I'll do what I can."

"Appreciate the help Stan," Fox said, signing off.

Katt sighed. "It's always exciting with you guys around, isn't it?"

* * *

FoxMcCloud7921


	5. Out of Time

Chapter 4: Out of Time

"So how do you want to do this?" Katt asked as they got into the next elevator.

"Most likely they're going to wait for us right at the door," Fox said as the doors closed. "But I may have an idea. I think it's time to test one of Slippy's little toys."

As the doors opened, there were indeed three soldiers waiting for them. However, to their surprise, they found the elevator to be empty. Suspicious, they cautiously approached the door. There were no panels that detached and opening the emergency door on top was no easy feet. Of course, they probably should have taken a good look up at the ceiling.

Perhaps they thought it was an old trick, and supposedly there had been three of them. Either way, they didn't even hear boots touch the ground behind them as Katt said, "Are you fellas really that gullible?"

All three of them turned to her, rifles aimed at her and suddenly there were shots, but they did not come from their guns. The three soldiers fell to the ground dead as the empty space behind them shimmered and both Fox and Krystal appeared.

"Cloaking field," Katt said. "Not bad at all. I guess Slippy's good for something."

"It was risky, because it's really meant for individual use," Fox said. Needless to say, Fox and Krystal had to be in _very close_ contact in order to hide both of them. Not that they really minded at this point.

"I know I should be getting paid for this, but perhaps I can bribe Slip to install one of those on my ship." Katt then looked around. "You know, considering that they know we're here, it's almost like they're not even trying to stop us from reaching the bottom floor."

"I doubt Caxton is military," Krystal said. "And if so, she'll need protection while downloading the map."

They suddenly heard the ding of the elevator down the hall and the doors opened. Katt sighed. "Me and my big mouth…"

There were twelve of them and by the looks of the weapons they were carrying, they were no longer kidding around. As soon as the doors opened they started opening fire. Most of them were rifles but there was one that was making an unusual sound, almost like it was firing miniature artillery rounds.

"What is _that_?" Krystal asked as soon as they found cover.

"They call it the Devastator," Fox said. "Automatic shotgun with FMJ rounds."

"That thing will tear us to shreds," Katt said. She then grabbed her comm. "Stan, honey, I don't mean to rush you but we could use some help right now."

"These sentry guns run automatically so they're hard to hack into and run manually…" Stan reminded her. "Hold on… okay sentry guns are coming online, I'd get down just in case…"

Stan had the good fortune of being able to tell the computer who was friend and who was foe. As soon as the guns came online, they quickly targeted the mercs and opened fire, firing at about two hundred forty rounds per minute. They didn't stand a chance, not even Devastator Boy.

Once the barrels went silent, Fox and the others peeked out of cover. "They are indeed effective," Fox commented.

"Thanks Stan, now I owe _you _one," Katt said.

"Do I at least get a kiss out of this?" Stan asked.

"Stanley…"

"What? I think I've earned it after all this."

"I'll think about it," Katt said with a slight grin. "Just make sure I don't die first."

"Roger that, beautiful."

"We're not done yet," Fox said. "The real party begins once we get down there."

They then entered the last elevator and went down. They were all hoping that this time they wouldn't be alerted to their arrival but luck wasn't always on their side. They braced themselves as the doors finally opened but to their surprise it was relatively quiet.

The room was large, although not as cluttered as the other storage rooms. However, it was easy to see that what was in this room had to be either important or secret. There were three figures in the room, two soldiers who appeared to be keeping an eye on the third, Dr. Kalrin Caxton.

Apparently they didn't notice the sudden arrival and Caxton was working hard on a datapad as the map Krystal and Fox had seen before was illuminated. Fox glanced at Katt and then at the doctor. _We'll take care of the brutes; you take care of the good ol' doctor._

Katt nodded and quietly crept towards her prey. Meanwhile, Fox and Krystal made their way towards the guards, who had made the unfortunate mistake of standing next to each other. Fox and Krystal tried to make it as quiet as possible but one of the guards managed a grunt before hitting the ground, alerting Caxton and causing her to turn around.

"Sorry, shows over doctor, if that's really your profession," Katt said, blaster drawn.

Caxton seemed surprised but managed a crooked smile. "Miss Monroe. Still among the living I see…"

"Yeah you know, nine lives and all, but you wouldn't really know that would you? Still, glad to see you have a conscience and didn't add meaningless slaughter to your list of crimes."

Caxton let out a small laugh as she pocketed the datapad. "You have no idea just who you're dealing with," she said.

"Oh please, like I haven't heard that one bef-" She had to cut herself off because Caxton suddenly attacked with speed she certainly hadn't been expecting and while she managed to avoid most of the blows, she couldn't avoid the one that connected to her stomach, causing shortness of breath.

Suddenly Caxton was on the run. "Katt, are you alright!?" Fox said as he helped her up.

"Yeah," Katt said as she recovered quickly. "She has the map, we have to stop her!"

They were quickly in pursuit. "Where does this lead to?" Krystal asked as they were running.

"Probably an emergency exit towards the other hangar," Katt replied. "We can't let her escape!"

"Falco do you copy?" Fox said. "The enemy is trying to escape we need you to cut them off somehow. Falco, do you copy?" There was no response. "Damn, I hope that got through at least."

* * *

(A/N: For this next part, the song I'm using is "A Cerberus Agent" from Mass Effect 3.)

* * *

*They then came to a long ladder heading upwards and started climbing. Judging by the open hatch above, Caxton had already been through here. As they reached the top, Fox could hear the sound of engines: Caxton was stealing a ship. "Damn it, are we too late?" Fox said. The ship was already beginning take off as it was turning around.

However, she probably wasn't expecting to see another ship blocking her way out. "Don't worry folks, I got this," Falco's voice came over their comms. Fox knew right away what was going to happen and yelled for everyone to get down.

The shuttle was not equipped for combat, only having two laser cannons, but that was all Falco needed. The ship Caxton was piloting was very lightly armored and as such, its engine was very much exposed. Falco fired one shot that went straight into the fuselage and exploded on impact.

The good news was the hangar was pretty large. The bad news was there were also other ships inside as well. After the small explosion, the ship whipped out of control and crashed into another row of ships, causing another explosion and debris to fly everywhere.

Katt got up and walked towards the wreckage cautiously, her blaster again drawn. "Nice shooting big man."

"I aim to please," Falco replied.

Suddenly Katt heard movement coming from the wreckage, louder than what she expected. A figure then crashed through the pieces of metal and for a second Katt didn't recognize it but it quickly dawned on her. The thing she saw was Dr. Kalrin Caxton, or at least what she really was with all her skin melted off and metal limbs exposed.

The robot quickly locked on to her and attacked with such speed that even caught her off guard. It grabbed her by the throat and held her up, displaying strength that hadn't been noticed before. The robot was also carrying a blaster and aside from almost being choked to death, Katt knew she was in trouble. It paused for a moment and put a metallic finger to what probably had been her ear. "Your orders?" At least the explosion didn't damage her sound box. A few moments passed as it waited and then said, "Understood." It raised the blaster and fired three shots, all in the abdomen. For Katt, it almost didn't hurt, she would've thought otherwise but she suddenly felt blood rush into and out her mouth.

"Katt!" The robot then turned and suddenly its head was blown off, followed by two more shots that immediately caused it to short-circuit and shut down. Katt fell as well and she was too weak to move. She then saw Fox's face in her now clouding vision. "Hang on Katt, we're going to get you help! Falco, get that shuttle in here now!"

Katt tried to do her trademark smirk, to tell them all she was fine, but she couldn't. She had said she had nine lives, but at some point she had lost count. She tried again and managed a small smile before her eyes closed and darkness took her.

* * *

(A/N: Okay two things: yes I know this chapter is slightly shorter but how could I not leave a cliffhanger here? Second, yes that really just happened but before anyone tries to crucify me, know that I could never truly kill Katt… at least so simply. I do apologize for the long wait again but I will get back into doing chapters more frequently. Until then, hope you all enjoyed the chapter and stay tuned!)

FoxMcCloud7921


	6. Returning Home

Chapter 5: Returning Home

_Great Fox_

Fox stood outside the medical bay, looking through the window. At least, what constituted as a medical bay on this ship. He could see Katt lying down on the bed, still unconscious. She was hanging on but it wasn't looking good. Falco was at her side, not having left since they took off from Outpost Station 1137.

The doors behind him opened and Peppy came in. "We're on route to Corneria at top speed and will be there within the hour…how's she doing?"

"She needs medical attention, a real group of doctors," Fox replied. "She's stabilized for now but Corneria is her best chance. Were you able to recover anything from that…thing?"

Peppy shook his head. "We know she was working for our friends on the station but we weren't able to recover anything. She may have been able to send the data off before we got to her."

"And no way to trace it back?" Fox asked. "It sounds like we don't have much time… but Katt comes first, she's practically one of us."

"Is he okay?" Peppy asked. He was glancing towards Falco.

"I don't know. I don't doubt he's upset but I'm about to find out. Is Krystal still resting?"

"Yeah, I think the shock was too much for her…and maybe she feels the need to blame herself, I don't know."

Fox sighed. "One thing at a time."

"Oh yeah, when you get the chance, Pepper said he wanted to have a word with you."

"Roger that." As he went inside the med bay, Falco didn't even glance at him or say a word. He kept his eyes on Katt. "We'll be at Corneria at less than an hour."

"…That's good to know."

"Look Falco, I know you're upset but we have to stay positive. She's made it this far and you know better than me how much of a fighter she is."

"You're right… I am upset," Falco said. He then got up and glared at him. "I should've been at her side instead of keeping the engines warm and you know that. If I was there she wouldn't have-"

"And if so, Caxton would've gotten away," Fox countered.

"It hardly matters, she probably got what she needed and sent it anyway, meaning it was all for nothing!" Falco snapped.

Fox kept himself calm. Falco tended to react like this, but he couldn't blame him this time. Besides, now was not the time to lose one's head. "You're right Falco, maybe I should've done things differently. This one's on me as well…"

Falco stared at him for a moment and then sighed. "Look I'm sorry… I just had to say something. I don't know for sure if anything would have been differently. Katt and I…"

"I know," Fox replied. "She'll make it Falco, I'm sure of it."

"Of course she will…" Falco said. "But if it's alright, I'd like to stay with her anyway. Give her some company."

Fox smiled. "No problem."

"I didn't realize the situation was so bad," Pepper's holographic image said. "Have we seen the last of these mercenaries?"

"I think we're only just getting started General," Fox said. "But right now Katt needs medical attention."

"I understand," Pepper replied. "I feel partly at fault as well…"

"So you were the one who sent her there?" Fox asked.

Pepper nodded. "I had to keep it quiet because I knew something was going in the shadows…not to mention her past affiliations with the Star Fox team. She had no objections as long as the um…pay was good."

Fox smiled. That sounded like her alright. "If it's alright General, perhaps we can discuss more once we reach Corneria."

"Yes, I agree, there's much to talk about. I will see you in a few hours then." His image then flickered off.

"Hey Fox, do you have a minute?" Slippy's voice came through his gauntlet.

"Sure Slip, I'll be right over." Fox shook his head slightly. _One thing at a time.  
_

* * *

"It took me a bit to figure out, but I think we can identify our mysterious doctor," Slippy said on the bridge.

"Alright Slippy, take it away," Fox replied.

"Well, despite the damage, I was able to locate an ID number and upon looking through multiple databases I found out she was manufactured in a facility on Macbeth."

"Okay, and I'm guessing she wasn't always an assassin bot?" Fox asked.

"Right," Slippy said, although he looked a bit disappointed not being able to tell him. "Most robots are used for manual labor. It cuts jobs for the working class but they're easier to handle and less expensive. This particular bot, while it was assembled in the same facility, was never sent out to the construction fields. Someone must have ordered it for a special purpose and judging by what we know, it had its voice box altered and most of it's programming as well."

"And synthetic skin?"

"Well, things like masks and stuff tend to be made out of rubber. But this? This wasn't easy to do and most likely is illegal and underground. Whoever did all this really didn't want to be discovered."

"I'll make sure to let the General in on this as well. Good work Slip."

* * *

Fox then knocked on Krystal's door. "It's open." Once he went in, he saw Krystal was sitting on her bed looking at a datapad. Fox could tell she was trying to distract herself.

"You alright?"

Krystal sighed. "I don't really know… I never would've thought this would happen. Are we getting close to Corneria?"

"Soon," Fox replied. "It looks rough but I know Katt will pull through. Besides, she knew the risks just like all of us."

"I know, I know," Krystal said. "So after all this, then what?"

"I don't know, but it sounds like someone's after the same thing we are," Fox replied. _"It's become a race all of a sudden…"  
_

* * *

_Corneria City_

Upon landing on Corneria, Katt was immediately taken to the emergency room in downtown Corneria City. She was immediately sent in for surgery while Fox and the others waited patiently in the waiting room. The doctors had looked grim and had said that the next few hours would determine her fate.

Three hours later, the doctor returned and both Fox and Falco braced themselves for bad news. However, the doctor had a smile on his face. "Miss Monroe's condition has stabilized and she's recovering now. It took awhile but I think she'll pull through."

"How bad was the damage?" Falco asked.

"It could've been much worse," the doctor said. "Luckily the shots missed all major arteries… we should be thankful for that. If you wish to see her you can but she's still recovering so try not to disturb her."

"We'll come back later Fox," Peppy said as he and Slippy headed out. "We'll meet you at the General's office."

"Alright," Fox replied and nodding at Falco, he followed along with Krystal to Katt's room. She looked like she'd been through a lot but at the moment she was sleeping peacefully, recovering from the sedatives.

"I guess you were right Fox," Falco said. "She's a tough girl."

"You should know that more than I do," Fox replied, smiling. "We can't stay too long though…"

"It's alright," Falco said. "You two go on ahead, I'll stay with her… at least until I get kicked out that is."

"Alright, if you say so," Fox said, looking towards Katt and nodding towards Krystal as they left the room.

Falco then looked at Katt for a moment. "You gave us all a scare there… but I know it wasn't your fault. Now you just gotta keep fighting til you wake up. Don't you go dying on me Katherine." He then got up to get some coffee but before he left he turned back and smiled. "See, now you have another reason to come back. I know you hate that name and will be beating me about it sooner or later. Hang in there Katt. That's an order."

* * *

FoxMcCloud7921


	7. Going Out in Style

(A/N: So here's the thing. Yes, you're going to see some ships from Zero. Why am I putting them in this? I don't know, I liked what I saw and I figured if this was going to be my last Star Fox story before Zero comes out I can at least make them "the new thing". Either way, I'm sure no one will mind if I add these goodies to the plot.)

* * *

Chapter 6: Going Out in Style

At the moment in his office, General Pepper looked concerned about the recent outcome of Outpost Station 1337. But what concerned him the most was the amount of violence that took place. "So it seems these mercs, whoever they are, were after the Cerinian map?"

Despite it being a map of the Lylat System, everyone had decided the term 'Cerinian map' was more appropriate. "Judging by all the preparations they took, this was planned a long ways back," Peppy said.

"The question is, why would they care anything about Cerinia?" Fox asked.

"Cerinia has been given a lot of recent attention by the Cornerian government," Pepper explained. "I can't say for sure how valuable their resources are but considering it's um… an uninhabited planet it's practically a treasure trove."

"And if they are valuable, finding a map to a secret location of Cerinian resources, whatever they may be, will tempt anyone, government or pirate," Krystal added.

"Unless they left any traces, they'll be hard to track down," Peppy said.

"And this android… you said she was custom-built?" Pepper asked.

"We're still trying to figure out the buyer," Slippy added.

"I have friends on Macbeth who might be able to look into it," Pepper said. He sighed as he sank back in his chair. "It seems we can't catch a break at all recently can we Fox?"

"Just part of the job," Fox said.

"I truly am sorry to hear about Miss Monroe but I'm glad to hear she'll be alright," Pepper added. "I'm also sorry that I have to ask again for another favor but as always we seem to be spread thin on all fronts."

"We were involved from the start so it's no trouble," Fox said. "However, we were hoping to stay on planet for a couple days at least until Katt has recovered."

"Of course," Pepper said. "At least it will give us all time to come up with a plan. We'll try to help in any way we can. Which reminds me…" He then propped up and pressed a button on his desk.

"Yes General?" The voice came through a speaker on the general's desk.

"Sandra, can you get a hold of Danielle and send her my way please?"

"Of course General." There was a slight pause. "She'll be here in twenty minutes."

"Perfect," Pepper said, closing the call. "Meetings almost every day, it almost makes me wish for the old days again."

Peppy chuckled. "Be careful what you wish for, General."

"Ah…that is true… I'll do anything to prevent the events of this year. Anyway, feel free to spend as much time as you need here and I'll make sure you're accommodated. It's the least we can do."

* * *

A couple days passed without major activity, at least until the one morning that Fox got a rather urgent call from the hospital. "Mr. McCloud? Er… I mean Captain, or, whatever! We need you over here immediately."

"Is Katt okay?" Fox asked.

"Yes but she's being…stubborn to put it mildly. She said she wanted to see you."

"Alright, I'll be there shortly." Fox shook his head. Typical Katt. He had a good idea what was going on.

"What was that about?" Falco asked. Falco had been at Katt's side until she woke up and despite being on sedatives clearly told him to go home and rest until she said so. Normally he'd argue with her but considering her current condition at the time he had decided against it.

"Katt wants to see us," Fox said, shrugging.

"Oh this ought to be good," Falco replied with a slight smirk.

* * *

"Fox, it's about time you showed up," Katt said. Her recovery was astounding, even to the doctors. A couple days after coming in and she was already able to walk around but was still kept to limited activity. The entire group was there to see her. "The doctors are trying to keep me here longer than I need to."

"What, are you afraid of hospitals?" Falco joked.

Katt threw him a glare and looked back to Fox. "Please Fox, you have to help me out here."

"Mr. McCloud, I am sorry but considering she has just recovered from surgery there is no possible way I can let her go without her endangering herself," the doctor argued.

Fox thought for a moment. "The _Great Fox_ has a med bay… it's not state of the art but she can use that to recover. If I promise to make sure she sees no combat for as long as needed, then perhaps you can release her?"

"Do I really have to?" Katt whined, but Fox ignored her.

The doctor looked reluctant but he certainly didn't want to have to deal with an unruly patient. "As long as she recovers completely and sees no major combat for at least…three weeks then I think that will be fine. But just remember she's your responsibility."

"Thank you doctor, and I'll make sure she follows the rules."

Katt looked a bit disappointed but it soon vanished. "I could kiss you right now Fox."

"Just remember Katt, three weeks," Falco reminded her.

"Yeah, yeah I heard it the first time…" Katt grumbled.

Suddenly the door behind them opened. "Fox?" Krystal said, peering through the door. "There's someone hear to see us."

"I'll start writing up the papers," the doctor said, leaving the room just as someone else entered, wearing the familiar green uniform of the Cornerian Army. She was a white and brown Austrialian Shepherd who quickly saluted in their presence. "Specialist Danielle Reinbaugh. A pleasure to meet you Captain McCloud."

"At ease Specialist," Fox said, smiling. He lost count of how many soldiers would react in his presence, which was ironic considering he had left the Academy years ago and never made it up to captain. "What can we do for you?"

Danielle's posture quickly relaxed. "I'm here to personally escort you to Space Dynamics as per General Pepper's orders."

"Space Dynamics? For what?" Peppy asked.

"I'm… under orders not to say what until we get there," Danielle said.

"It can't hurt," Fox said.

"Yeah, if we don't go now think how sad Slippy will be," Falco remarked.

"Hey!" Slippy snapped.

"Uh…am I allowed to come along?" Katt asked.

"I don't see why not," Danielle said. "At the General's request, he's had your Arwings tuned up along with any optional customizations if you wanted them."

"Did they like my cloaking device?" Slippy asked.

Danielle smiled. "Perhaps I'll explain along the way?"

* * *

"You see, ever since the events on Cerinia, Space Dynamics has been rather busy with coming up with new ideas and designs for the Arwings and such," Danielle said as they got off the large speeder that acted as a transport around town. "You could say they got a large donation from the government considering SD has good standings with everyone. That being said, they have some new toys for you guys to try out."

"As in new Arwings?" Fox asked.

Danielle nodded. "These new Arwings have each been custom-designed for your preferences…I know it's hard to say goodbye to a ship you've known so well but rest assured every part will be put to good use elsewhere."

"Oh shoot," Katt said, just realizing something. "My ship. I left it on the station."

"We recovered your Invader Class III, don't worry," Danielle assured her. "It's being worked on as we speak. Ah, here we are."

They were now overlooking a large docking bay which was where many ships were undergoing repairs. Space Dynamics had many contracts with different governments within the Lylat System, but Corneria put in the most money themselves. Katt saw her ship, the Catspaw, currently docked and being repaired. _"Hopefully not too many modifications…"_ she wondered.

"As for the Landmaster tanks, we decided that treads are a better choice than wheels, mostly because they can handle more off-road terrain. We also upgraded their booster systems so they can hover longer above ground," Danielle continued. "I feel as if there was something else… oh yes here we go."

They then came across a large room where they saw what looked like a large drone. "This is the Gyrowing," Danielle said. "If there ever is another war, these will see a lot of action on the ground as they can help assist troops from above. They can also be used for stealth missions, considering they make almost no noise. We also have larger ones built for troop transport. Space Dynamics was kind enough to donate one to you as well."

"It looks like it can come in handy for something," Falco remarked.

"If it's alright, I'm going to go check up on my ship," Katt said.

"Just take the elevator to the bottom floor," Danielle directed her.

* * *

(A/N: For this next part, the song I'm using is "The Normandy Reborn" from Mass Effect 2.)

* * *

"This all seems pretty generous of Space Dynamics, more than usual," Peppy remarked.

Danielle sighed. "The truth is… General Pepper covered the cost of everything."

"Why the General?" Slippy asked.

"I would guess it's a way to express his gratitude time and time again," Danielle said. "But there is one last thing… You won't be returning to your old ship."

"Uh…why's that?" Fox asked.

Danielle grinned. "Let's just say General Pepper had one more gift for you. It was hard to find, considering how rare Dreadnaughts are these days but he pulled some strings and…well its better if I show you."

*They then took another elevator down to a basement level. "When it was found, it was almost beyond repair. It took months to replace all the rusted metal and everything, not to mention change out the wiring and update the systems. It was a total overhaul but I think it was worth it. And even better, it comes with a full crew. I know Star Fox doesn't always work well with groups but… consider this a joint effort." She then paused as the elevator doors opened and nodded to one of the guards standing by. "We just got her finished the other day."

It was almost pitch black inside but soon the lights overhead started turning on and soon the giant Dreadnaught was in view. It bared a striking resemblance to the one James McCloud once owned and Fox wasn't sure what to say. However, he had no issues now abandoning the temporary ship he had had before.

"It's going to feel just like the good old days…" Fox remarked.

Danielle nodded and turned to him. "She's ready to depart any time you are."

Hours later, the giant hangar doors opened, causing light to flood into the open space. The dreadnaught, now dubbed the official _Great Fox II_, fired up its engines, which caused a loud roar, especially for those nearby and soon it started to take off from Corneria City and head towards space.

It was as Fox said. It was starting to feel like the good old days.

* * *

(A/N: And there's your surprise folks. I knew there just had to be a new Great Fox, one that is worthy to be flown so of course I had to add her in. I know right now things seem slow but rest assured after this we're finally dive deeper into the plot and explore worlds that may seem familiar in past games. Anyway, hope you all have enjoyed these last few chapters and continue to wait eagerly as this story continues on.)

FoxMcCloud7921


	8. Origin

(A/N: Okay, I realize this chapter is long overdue and I do apologize. I'm finally at a point where I can afford some time to work on this story and I will try to do better on updating quicker but considering finals are about to come up, no promises. By the way, I may have messed up at the planets being mentioned in this story but I had them listed as: Titania, Sauria, Fichina, Fortuna and Macbeth. I decided to add Fichina and Fortuna…this is what happens when you're gone a long time and didn't write down notes. Anyway, if I mentioned any different planet well…I changed my mind on that and I'll have to go back and edit that but hopefully you guys are all okay with this. Anyway, enough rambling from me let's continue this!)

* * *

Chapter 7: Origin

_Great Fox II, just outside Cornerian Space_

Fox stood beside a large window that looked out into open space. They were leaving Corneria and at this point, Fox wasn't too sure where to go next. Titania, Fichina, Fortuna, and Macbeth…what is the connection between these worlds?

Fox's thoughts were interrupted as the door behind him opened and Danielle walked in, followed by a short salute. "Captain, I hope you've been able to adjust to your new quarters."

Fox smiled. "It's pretty impressive, I'll give it that." Next to his bed and customized shower there were a couple of monitors which gave an overview of the ship as well as being able to show multiple news stations from planets all over the Lylat System. Not too bad for a captain's quarters.

"You have no idea the time or the money to completely overhaul this ship," Danielle said with a smile. "To be honest, I think General Pepper was a little sad to see it go but he knows its better in your hands."

"He knew my dad had a thing for old warships," Fox said. "So…I'm guessing now's the time where you give me a tour of the ship?"

Danielle chuckled. "I could give you the long version…or I could just cut it short with the mobile version." She then took out a tablet and opened up a holographic picture of the ship. "These dreadnaughts were practically built all the same so there's not too much to show, however we did take the time to update the engines, forward cannons, etc." She then showed a picture of the bridge. "The bridge however is a bit more digital than you remember. The upgrades in technology have allowed ROB64 to better integrate himself into the ship's systems. You also now a holographic map of the entire Lylat System, which also doubles as your main line of communication to HQ and all that. However, if you need to talk privately to anyone, you can do so here as well. Like I said, it's a much shorter version. Any questions Captain?"

"I just want to make this all clear Danielle," Fox replied. "The crew is mine to command?"

"Absolutely," Danielle replied. "I know it's not something you're used to, but General Pepper himself told us that we're to follow every order you make and that goes for the rest of your team as well. We're at your disposal."

"Understood then," Fox said.

"Oh and before I forget, all communication is linked to your gauntlet, my line included. Just give me the word and I'll handle the rest."

"I appreciate it," Fox said. He then offered his hand. "I'm counting on you Specialist."

"The pleasure is all mine, Captain," she said, shaking his hand. "I, or rather we, won't let you down."

* * *

"I figured I'd find both of you down here." Fox smiled as both Falco and Slippy were down in the hangar, observing their new Arwings.

"You know I hate changing ships Fox," Falco said as he looked over his new ship. "They assured each of these Arwings were customized to our liking but personally I prefer a ship I've been able to ground in a bit. They better not have screwed me over."

"Aw come on Falco, since when has Space Dynamics ever screwed up on anything?" Slippy said, inside the cockpit. "At least for me they made the seat nice and comfy. They were talking distinguishable upgrades but the crew here is being tight-lipped about it."

"Sounds like they want to keep it a surprise," Fox commented.

"Yeah, and you know how much I like surprises," Falco said. "Fox, you're really sure about all this?"

"You mean the ship and everything?" Fox asked. "I understand how you feel but look at this way, we have a full crew under our command and a new ship to boot. We were gonna need a bigger ship eventually anyway."

"I'm only here cause these are people Pepper picked out himself," Falco said. "So I'll trust his judgment."

"WHOA WHOA WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?"

"Uh…is something going on?" Fox asked.

Falco sighed. "The mechanic here has been trying to fix up Katt's old ship and she's…not too happy about it."

"PUT THAT G-DIFFUSER BACK YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I PAID FOR THAT!?" Katt snapped at the mechanic, who was deadpanning at her.

"Ma'am, believe me this is for your own good," he said. "Have you even looked at your ship recently?"

"Of course, I got it tuned up on Zoness a few weeks ago," Katt said. "I don't see the problem."

"Was your guy contracted by Space Dynamics?"

"…If you mean qualified then no not exactly he's a local guy."

The mechanic, a short-haired retriever, pointed at her g-diffuser. "Well obviously this guy doesn't use up-to-date parts. This g-diffuser is practically held up by duct tape and bubble gum, it's almost five years old. You're lucky the damn thing didn't fail, or worse, cause an electrical shortage that could've gotten to your fuel tank."

"…That son of a bitch!" Katt snapped.

"Don't worry about it, I can get this baby back to new just like that. Give me about five hours and I'll have her purring like a kitten."

"Thanks…I appreciate it…" Katt replied.

"It's what I'm here for ma'am."

Falco chuckled. "I told her some of those guys on Zoness are shady. She just doesn't like paying the full price is her problem."

Suddenly Fox's gauntlet went off. "Fox, do you have a minute to swing by?" Krystal asked.

"I'll be right there," Fox said before signing off. "So, you guys feel like taking these on a test flight?"

"Nah, I'll get my test flight soon enough," Falco said. "Just gonna make some modifications here though…"

"I'd talk to someone before doing that, considering this is a brand new ship," Fox reminded him.

"Yeah yeah, get going your girlfriend needs you," Falco said, waving him off.

* * *

Krystal was reading at her desktop when Fox came in. "I hope I wasn't interrupting anything but I needed to show you something," she said, waving him over. "Remember how I was seeing figures that reminded me of the Krazoa? It wasn't just that one file…" She pressed a button and multiple pages came up. "Fox, they're referenced in all the data in this chip. I'm not sure what it means exactly but from what I remember, the Krazoa were here hundreds of years ago, probably before Cornerians or even the Cerinians took their first steps. They have to know something."

"And the only place we can find them is on Sauria," Fox added. "Are you suggesting…?"

"What choice do we have?" Krystal asked. "Even if we go to each planet mentioned, we're not even sure what we're looking for. The Krazoa Spirits are our only lead right now."

"Alright, then it's settled," Fox said. "We're heading to Sauria immediately."

"Thank you Fox," Krystal said. "So…you think Tricky will be happy to see us?"

"Oh I'm sure he'll be ecstatic."

* * *

As the _Great Fox II _approached Sauria, two Arwings exited from the ship's hangar and descended towards the planet. "Did you tell Tricky where he would meet us?" Krystal asked.

"At Krazoa Palace," Fox said. "It makes the most logical sense, seeing as that's where the Krazoa. Hopefully they can give us some answers."

"It's too bad, I hear Cape Claw is nice this time of year…"

"Maybe when this is all over," Fox said with a smile. "We're approaching Krazoa Palace now."

The two Arwings descended upon the landing platform just outside the palace. It was strange, the first time and every time after Fox came to this place the sky was stormy and dark, but for once the sun was shining brightly with clouds in the distance.

"I…had almost forgotten I had many memories of this place," Krystal said as they both got out.

"You and I both," Fox said. How could he forget? This was where they first met, although technically Krystal hadn't been conscious at the time. Their first encounter wasn't exactly friendly but they were quick to put all that behind them. "Least the place isn't as depressing as it once was."

"Yes, it was pretty bad the first time I came here," Krystal said. "Hmm… I wonder where Tricky is?"

"FOXXXX!"

"Oh no, no no no!" Fox said, quickly reacting, expecting to see a large triceratops charging at him. Instead, Prince Tricky was more running than charging up to them. "Hahaha, sorry Fox, I just had to see your expression and it was totally worth it!"

"Not funny Tricky," Fox almost growled.

"Oh come on, you have to admit it was funny, right Krystal?" Tricky asked.

Krystal giggled. "Sorry Fox, it was a little funny."

Fox sighed. "Sorry we had to call you like this but there's something on Sauria we need to find."

"And you need to ask the Krazoa right?" Tricky asked. "Well it's a good thing you called, cause being an Earthwalker helps you grant access inside."

"Alright Tricky, lead the way," Fox said.

Tricky led them to the grand entrance to the palace. Fox never completely understood the connection between the dinosaurs and how they could open doors and such but Tricky was able to open the doors by himself. "The Krazoa should be in the chamber ahead," Tricky said.

Fox nodded and went forward, opening the doors himself instead. Inside, the spirits of the Krazoa were floating around gracefully, reacting to his presence immediately. Once the three of them were inside, the Krazoa backed away slightly and suddenly the figure of an actual Krazoa appeared before them.

"Greetings Fox McCloud, Krystal, and Prince Tricky," the Krazoa said. "I sense your presence here is a necessary one."

"Great Krazoa spirit, I must know more about your civilization, and it's connection to the Cerinian people," Krystal said.

"Yes…there is indeed a connection," the Krazoa said. "Millenia ago, the Krazoa were a great and prosperous race, inhabiting the worlds you see now in the Lylat System. However, over time, climates have changed, forever changing planets such as Fichina, and Titania, which were once as beautiful as Corneria itself."

"The map we found contains information on some of these planets, which somehow have history with the Cerinians," Fox said. "Are you saying Sauria was a Cerinian planet once as well?"

"The story of the Cerinians is both inspiring and sad," the Krazoa commented. "But indeed, the Cerinians once inhabited this planet, before the Earthwalkers, the Cloudrunners, and other species here. The ending of the war between the Cornerians and Cerinians sealed the fate of many. I sense that you seek to complete this map, to find what is hidden, but the real question is: what will you do once you find it?"

"General Brynhilde said the planet, wherever it is located, contains Cerinian resources, resources that could spell disaster in the wrong hands," Krystal said. "I don't want any of the atrocities of the past to repeat themselves."

"Very well," the Krazoa said. "Then we will show you the path to your first destination. Beneath this palace tells a tale of the Krazoa and their legacy that was continued by future civilizations. It is there you will find the first piece of the puzzle." Suddenly, a door to their left opened. "We wish you luck on your quest." The figure then disappeared.

"Thank you," Krystal said. She then looked to Fox. "So what do you say Fox? Feel like another journey on Sauria?"

* * *

FoxMcCloud7921


	9. Into the Depths

Chapter 8: Into the Depths

There was a large pit inside. "I guess this is our way in," Fox said.

"It looks like it goes down quite a ways," Krystal said.

"Least we know we came prepared," Fox said, taking out some rope and driving a spike into the ground.

"I guess I won't be coming with you two huh?" Tricky asked.

"Sorry Tricky, it looks a little cramped down there," Fox said, deciding to not mention the fact that pulling a dinosaur down or up was near impossible. "We'll try not to take too long down there." He then checked the rope and threw the rest down into the hole before climbing in. He turned on his light and saw the bottom about thirty feet below. "It's not as bad as you think." He then slid down and upon touching the bottom, looked around with his light. There was only one way forward, the other looked blocked off.

Krystal soon followed him down. "It's not as chilly down here as I imagined," she said.

"There must be a heat source somewhere nearby," Fox said. "But it seems like no one but the Krazoa knew of this cavern… so what does it lead to?" They continued on, being lead by the lighted pathway of luminescent crystals. The further they went, the brighter it seemed to get.

Soon they found themselves in a large room, almost as big as the main part of Krazoa Palace. "This had to have been made by hand somehow," Krystal said. "There's no doubt the Krazoa were hiding something here."

"I think we already found it," Fox said. "Look over there."

The room ended at a dead end, which was a large wall of rock but on that wall there was a large mural of different shapes. "Does this look familiar to you Fox?" Krystal asked.

Looking closer, Fox saw it right away. "It's a sketch of the Lylat System," he said. The large planet on the bottom left had to be Corneria, and the planet on the upper right had to be Venom. There were what appeared to be markers on Macbeth, Titania, Fichina, and Fortuna.

"Just like the map," Krystal said. "There's something else here." There was text next to the sketch, and although small, it was readable.

_To find the answer you seek, you must look deep inside…_

"Deep inside what?" Krystal asked.

"I guess this is all we're going to find," Fox said. He then scanned the mural to his gauntlet. "We may need it in the future. We better head back."

"It's too bad you guys can't stay a bit longer," Tricky said as the three of them headed back to their Arwings. "The beaches are nice this time of year."

"You don't need to remind me," Krystal complained slightly.

"We're doing a lot of traveling at the moment so we don't have time to spare," Fox said. "But don't worry Tricky, I promise when this is all over we'll definitely come back to visit."

"I'm holding you to that Fox," Tricky said as the two of them got into their Arwings before taking off.

* * *

_Valiant Edge_

"It is a pity to have lost Kalrin, but at least she was able to find the data we needed," Raynar said at his desk.

The figure he had spoken to before was again on the other side of the room. "But it is incomplete," he said.

"I figured as much," Raynar said. "But we know where the other pieces are located, at least on which planets."

"And Star Fox will be on the hunt as well," the figure replied.

"So my plan is going perfectly," Raynar replied. "The whole mission was a façade, in order to get our mole into Star Fox's ranks. She can easily send the data to us and once the time is right, we will make our move."

"It seems you thought ahead on everything," the figure replied.

"In careers such as mine, that is how you stay on top of the others," Raynar said. He then looked at his watch. "Hmm, it's time to go check up on our guest. Hopefully she's being a bit more cooperative now."

He left his office and went down the hallway, going left towards a door with a guard posted outside. "How is she?"

The guard hesitated. "She barely says a word in there, more focused on her datapad. I doubt she even stops to eat."

"I see. I'll have a word with her." He opened the door and went inside where a young girl, a white cocker spaniel who was about eighteen sitting on a bed, reading a datapad. "I'm sure you've been busy reading the schematics of this ship and managed to find where the escape pods are, but do you really think that'll do you any good?"

The girl paused, looked up to him. "I wasn't looking to escape, I was trying to see how good your security is on your mainframes."

"Hm, I'm sure even you would have a tough time hacking through that my dear Fay," Raynar said. "But I suppose whatever makes you happy while you're here. You do realize a girl your age needs to stay healthy."  
"You're not my father so don't bother."

"Very well, it's just a suggestion," Raynar replied. "Try not to deactivate the life-support systems while you're in here will you?"

Fay smirked. "No promises."

Raynar shook his head as he left the room. She was more trouble than he imagined, but nothing he couldn't handle. Both were good at what they did and if the need came, he'd at least be looking forward to a challenge, as long as it wasn't chess; she proved to be the superior in that regard.

* * *

_Great Fox II_

Katt had just returned from the gym, ready to take a shower. She was typing something into a data pad when Falco came into her room. "You know, when the doctor said take it easy, I think he meant staying in bed and resting."

Katt smiled and put the data pad down. "I don't need to rest, I'm feeling better already. You may not believe it, but give it a few days I might be ready to go back out on the field."

"I saw you in the gym, but don't you think you're rushing this a bit?" Falco asked.

"Why, you feel better about taking care of me?" Katt said with a wink.

"Katt…"

"Don't worry Falco, I'm being careful. Besides, what would you do if you were in my shoes?" Katt asked.

"…Fair point," Falco replied. "I just want you to be back to a hundred percent, not eighty-seven. Besides, Fox is the one who decides whether to give you the green light or not."

"I heard they found something down on Sauria," Katt said.

"Yeah, just some old ruins or whatever but I don't think it tells us much," Falco said. "Then again, I'm only going along because it beats doing nothing you know?"

"You and me both." She then went up and punched him in the shoulder.

"What was that for?" Falco asked.

"No one uses my full name and gets away with it," Katt said, looking slightly annoyed.

Falco smirked. "I figured somehow you were listening. You'll thank me later for it."

Katt paused. "But seriously…thanks for sticking with me."

"Just be careful next time alright?" Falco asked.

"Will do," Katt said. She paused for a moment. "Falco…do you ever wonder about…the others?"

"The Hot Rodders?" Falco asked. "Haven't heard from anyone in awhile, why?"

"It's nothing, just curious," Katt said. "Those were good times weren't they?"

Falco sighed and looked out the window. "Sometimes I wonder about that…"

* * *

(A/N: For this next part, the song I'm using is "Briefing (Part 1)" from Star Fox Assault.)

* * *

*"So where to next Fox?" Peppy asked while he, Fox, and Krystal were on the bridge.

"I guess Fortuna," Fox said. "We haven't been there since…"

"Yeah, start of the invasion," Peppy asked. "It was Oikonny's last stronghold but after the Aparoids showed up I doubt there's anything left there."

"Cornerian forces have surveyed the planet for a couple months now and haven't found anything except remnants of vehicles most likely used by the Venomian forces," Danielle said, coming up to the bridge. "And as you said, there's no way the Aparoids could've missed anything down there."

"Are there any old structures? Ruins, anything?" Krystal asked.

"There were a number of structures hidden deep in the forest areas," Danielle said. "But it would be hard to trek through, at least on foot. Luckily, none of you will have to worry about that."

"Meaning?" Fox asked.

Danielle smiled. "It's better to explain when you get down there."

"Alright, I think it's fair to say we should be careful on this one just in case, we're bringing the whole team on this one," Fox said. "I'll let Falco and Slippy know so they can get ready for departure."

"And Katt?" Peppy asked.

"I hate to leave her out of it, but I need her to be healthy when we really need her," Fox said. "ROB, how long til we reach Fortuna?"

"Three hours and twenty-five minutes," ROB replied.

"Alright, we got about an hour to relax but then we'll have to get prepped. Make it count everyone."

* * *

Team Star Fox departed from the _Great Fox II _and entered Fortuna's atmosphere. "Danielle, now do you want to fill us in on what you mentioned before?" Fox asked.

"Alright," Danielle said over the intercom. "Unlike previous models of Arwings, this new one has a new accessory called walker mode. Your Arwing can turn from a flight-based vehicle to a land-based vehicle. Controls are pretty much the same but now you can take the fight to ground units without leaving the cockpit."

"I was wondering what that little red lever was," Falco commented.

"Yes, and I can thankfully say it will not operate out in space unless the computer can detect something it can land on. The gravity cells on the legs can practically latch you onto any ship."

"Does this mean it'll replace the landmaster tank?" Slippy asked.

"No, while it can be seen as a walking tank, the Arwing doesn't have the armor a landmaster has, not to mention it doesn't perform well on non-solid surfaces like sand."

"At least now we can traverse through the forest much easier," Krystal said.

*They soon entered Fortuna's atmosphere, witnessing the familiar blue of the sky and green landscape. "I'm not picking anything up on the monitor," Fox commented.

"Thermals can't pick up anything here either," Slippy said.

"I'm sensing something…but I'm not sure if it's just wildlife…" Krystal said. Suddenly, she felt it coming. "Watch out!" Suddenly, laser fire came out of the woods straight at them. Luckily, Fox and the others managed to dodge in time.

"So much for a walk in the park…" Falco said. "We got fighters coming in too. What do you think Fox?"

"We'll split into two teams," Fox said. "Krystal and Falco, you got the skies. Slippy, you and I are gonna take it to them on the ground."

"I copy, sounds like fun!" Slippy commented.

"Be on your guards everyone, these bogies are here for a reason," Fox said.

* * *

(A/N: Okay, I bet you all have two questions right now, one is Fay? Yep, I decided to bring Fay Spaniel into the mix. After actually playing Star Fox 2 (the English patch mind you), I actually do like her and Miyu's characters. Speaking of which, I haven't decided whether I would mention her in this because that's about all I would do. Truth is, I really like Katt and she is pretty much what Miyu is so it's hard to say. Now of course I also realize Fay was Bill's predecessor but unlike Bill, she has a totally different personality and come on, I like cocker spaniels…anyway sorry for the long wait and hope you all enjoyed the chapter.)

FoxMcCloud7921


	10. Walkers Engaged

Chapter 9: Walkers Engaged

_Fortuna_

As Falco and Krystal engaged the enemy from the skies, Fox and Slippy flew down low to the tree line. Both Arwings transformed and were now standing on two legs. Slippy was curious how such a feat was accomplished in the first place.

"Split up and take them down Slip," Fox said as the two marched forward. He couldn't see the looks on the apes' faces ahead but he was pretty sure they weren't expecting this. Even more sad was the fact that they started firing on them anyway It was as Danielle said, Arwings did not have the armor Landmasters did, but infantry weapons would barely put a dent in them. Fox quickly targeted and opened fire. The blast from the laser caused any soldiers nearby to be knocked around. He'd probably kill most of them but he needed at least one alive.

* * *

Meanwhile, Krystal somersaulted over an enemy fighter and took it out. "Man, these guys are hardly worth the trouble I could take them out in my sleep," Falco said.

"There's not many of them here it's true," she replied. _"So what are they doing here?" _There was no way they survived the Aparoid attack. They also could be remnants of Brynhilde's army hiding out on the planet, but in Cornerian territory the idea sounded ludicrous.

"Hey, I think I see an airfield up ahead, that must be where they're launching from," Falco said. "Let's see who can take out the most ships!"

"Loser buys the next round of drinks?" Krystal asked with a smile.

"You're on sister."

* * *

It took awhile before someone decided to get on the machine gun turret. There were a couple automated turrets, dangerous if ignored, but not an issue since Fox and Slippy were able to take them out quickly. The gunner quickly aimed for his cockpit but even the glass was impervious to bullets. Fox realized even in walker he could still fire nova bombs but that would both be overkill and enough to take out at least a square mile. Laser fire would do just fine as he fired, taking out the gunner.

It was quiet for a moment, and then a lone ape came out, his hands in the air and unarmed. "Wait don't shoot, I surrender!" Fox paused, unsure how to respond.

He looked in Slippy's direction. "What do you think Slippy?"

"I don't detect any other enemies so he might be telling the truth," Slippy replied. "But it could be a trap too."

"Only one way to find out," Fox said, pushing up the cockpit and grabbing his blaster. "You keep an eye on things just in case." He dropped down, keeping his eye on the ape. "Quite a surprise you gave us there."

"We? You're the ones who surprised us! They didn't mention you guys were coming!"

"Who's they?" Fox asked.

"The ones that offered us the job," the ape explained. "After General Brynhilde was killed, most of us broke off and went into hiding. We mostly did mercenary work and that's when we got an offer from an unknown client saying there was something important on Fortuna, hidden in one of the old ruins and we were supposed to protect it. They never said anything about Star Fox showing up."

"And when was this?" Fox asked.

"About three days ago," the ape replied. "I knew it was all a setup, despite the money we got in advance."

"Alright, well you're going to show us this ruin, and no funny business," Fox said, gesturing with his blaster for him to get up. "Falco, Krystal, looks like we just got a lead. How are things on your end?"

"Wasn't much of an airfield to begin with but it's all gone now," Falco said. "We'll be with you shortly."

Shortly after, both their Arwings landed on the outside edge of the forest. "Alright you," Fox said to the ape once they joined up. "Showtime." The ape was quiet as the group delved deeper into the forest. The sounds of birds and all other sorts of creatures filled the air, proof that Fortuna had rebounded since the Aparoid Invasion. The more they went in, the darker it started to become.

Soon they came across what looked like an abandoned temple, although it was hard to say how long because the infrastructure was still intact. The pyramidal shape certainly didn't contrast with the environment. "This is it," the ape said. "No one even know this place existed before now so whatever's in there its got to be priceless."

"Seems that way," Fox commented.

"So uh...am I free to go?"

Fox looked to the others. "I suppose so," he said. "Just try not to get yourself killed." The ape just nodded and started running in the opposite direction.

"Wait, we're just letting him go?" Krystal asked.

Fox shrugged. "Considering we took out the rest of his buddies, he's probably thankful to be alive."

"Besides, if he survives the next few days he'll be picked up by a Cornerian patrol anyway so let's let him enjoy the fresh air while he can," Falco added.

"But look at the size of this thing," Slippy commented, looking at the temple. "Now I really want to know what's inside."

"Let's stick close," Fox said as they went inside, turning on the flashlights attached to their weapons. "Keep your eyes open for any traps too."

It was almost pitch black inside, almost impossible to see anything. However, the path they were following seemed to be the only direction they could go so far. What else seemed strange was the fact that the ground seemed like it was sloping downward, and the ceiling was getting taller.

Fox then noticed something sticking out of the wall beside him. There was a groove inside and it made him wonder. "Anyone have a pack of matches on them by chance?"

"I got a blowtorch in my kit," Slippy said. He went through his bag and tossed Fox the small blowtorch along with an igniter. Fox turned on the gas and ignited it, causing a small flame to burn.

He put the flame into the crevice and suddenly it ignited and spread, creating light inside the room, which turned out to be much larger than they imagined. As it turned out, the room split into a crossroad, leading to a circular path in the middle of the room. But even more amazing were the drawings all around the room.

It was nothing distinct, but many of the pictures depicted a civilization, with cities in the background, and others were they were pointing towards the heavens.

"I won't lie, this is pretty incredible," Falco said. "So the question is, who built this temple anyway?"

"It's a guess at this point, but considering this planet was on the map, maybe the Cerinians also inhabited Fortuna at one point," Krystal said. "The environment here is much like it was- is on Cerinia."

"So the Cerinians really were spread all over the Lylat System?" Slippy asked.

"At this point, it would not surprise me," Krystal replied.

"Let's take a look what's down there," Fox said, pointing towards the middle. It looked similar to what he and Krystal saw on Sauria: same mural and there was text written on the side.

"_The naked eye is not enough, you must go beyond the plane to find the direction you seek," _Krystal said.

"What does that mean?" Slippy asked.

"It must be a continuation of the text we saw on Sauria," Fox said. "And I get the feeling there's more to come."

"_...you must go beyond the plane…?" _Krystal said out loud. "I can only think about twenty different ways of interpreting that."

"It's better to think about it on the _Great Fox_," Fox said as he scanned the text to his gauntlet. "Let's head back."

"Fox, there's just one thing that bothers me," Krystal said as they headed back. "The people who we encountered at the space station, how come we haven't run into them yet and what are they planning?"

"I don't know, but I'm sure we'll see them again soon enough."

* * *

_Great Fox II_

As Fox returned to the bridge, he saw most of the crew's attention was directed towards the front. Then he saw it: Peppy and Danielle were locked in a chess match, the board being the holographic projector between them. It looked like an even match and judging by Danielle's expression, it was her turn. Peppy had his poker face on and it was hard to tell whether he was feeling confident or nervous.

Finally Danielle entered her moveset on her data and as the holographic piece she said, "Checkmate."

Everyone looked stunned, but not as stunned as Peppy was. He looked at the board for a few moments and laid back in his chair. "I don't believe it...you certainly weren't joking around."

Fox then decided to make his entrance. "Did I miss a good match?" he asked.

"Oh, Captain," Danielle said, straightening in her chair. "Yes, it was a very good match."

"Don't listen to her Fox," Peppy chuckled. "She had me figured out the minute we started. Guess you really can teach an old dog new tricks."

"To be fair, you did say not to go easy on you," Danielle replied, beaming with pride.

"If its alright, I wanted you two to look at something," Fox said. He then sent the data from his gauntlet to the screen in front of them, displaying the mural of the Lylat System and the two bodies of text.

"Old civilizations always did like to speak in riddles," Peppy said. "Do you think there's more to the puzzle?"

"Betting on it," Fox replied.

"Perhaps it means looking under some type of lighting?" Danielle suggested. "Either way, I can get some lab technicians to look at it in the meantime."

"Sounds good," Fox said, nodding.

"You look tired," Peppy said after Danielle left. "I know you want to get this as soon as possible, but it won't do any of us good if you burn yourself out."

"I know," Fox replied, sighing as he took a seat. "I just think back to what happened to Katt and realize how desperate this other group is. Is what we're looking for really that valuable?"

"It sure seems that way," Peppy replied, crossing his arms in thought. "Speaking of Katt, she's getting impatient. You keep holding her back she's just going to take her ship and leave."

"She knows I'm doing what's best for her," Fox replied, sounding slightly irritated. "What does the doctor say?"

"Interestingly enough she's healing quicker than anyone thought," Peppy said with a smile. "She can't do too much rigorous activity but always she should be good to go."

"That means flying a ship, or firing a gun," Fox replied. "I'll think about it. It's gonna be a long trip to Fichina anyway…"

* * *

It was getting late, by Cornerian standard time. Fox was already in bed, laying back and staring up at the ceiling. A nifty little feature included in the new ship was a screen on the ceiling which showed a projection of space. It wasn't real time but as they were in space you couldn't really tell.

"You look like you have a lot on your mind." Fox looked over to Krystal in her light blue nightgown. She then got into bed with him and curled up close to him.

"Probably not as much as you do," he smiled, kissing her gently.

"It's been like that since this all started," Krystal replied. Fox knew she was going all the way back to the beginning, back when they first heard the news from Pepper himself.

"It's been a wild ride hasn't it?" Fox commented.

"And I don't think it will be stopping anytime soon," Krystal said. She then put an arm around him and laid her head on his chest. "But I suppose we just have to deal with it head-on."

"It's how we always handle it," Fox said. "But Krystal the real question is, what do we do once we find whatever we're looking for?"

"It's the only thing I have left of my people," Krystal said. "Whatever it is, I don't want it falling in the wrong hands."

"We'll make sure it doesn't," Fox replied. He then looked at the clock. "We got maybe half an hour at most. What do you think?"

Krystal then grinned devilishly. "I thought you'd never ask. That's plenty of time."

She turned off the lights and pulled the covers over themselves.

* * *

FoxMcCloud7921


	11. Land of the Ice and Snow

Chapter 11: Land of the Ice and Snow

"We have arrived at Fichina," ROB announced.

"How do the conditions look?" Fox asked.

"Most of the planet looks clear for now," Danielle said. "It's a good thing they were able to get the climate control center fixed."

"I guess these Cerinians had a sense of humor after all," Falco said. "The place is all snow and ice."

"I'm starting to wonder if centuries ago the Lylat System was that much different," Krystal mused. "Where's our insertion point?"

"Here," Fox said, zooming in on a holographic presentation of Fichina. "Here in the mountains there's a large network of underground caves. I can't say it's where we need to be but I can bet money you can get lost easily."

"So that's pretty much it?" Danielle asked.

"One more thing." Fox then looked to Katt. "Feel ready to go out on the field again?"

Katt grinned. "I thought you'd never ask."

"I can't promise you'll see a lot of action but I'm sure you're getting sick of being stuck up on the ship."

"Believe me, anything to get off this ship for awhile is good enough for me," Katt said.

* * *

_Fichina_

"Lookout?" Katt said in a white winter coat as the shuttle door opened. "You want me to play lookout?"

"I did warn you," Fox said. "Besides, you got quite a view from here."

Katt sighed as she jumped out into the fresh packed snow. "Normally I hate snow but…whatever. Try not to take too long okay?"

"Don't worry, we'll be back shortly," Krystal said as the doors closed and the shuttle landed down towards the edge of the mountainside. As they got out, Fox couldn't help but whistle at the sight. The cave they saw was going underground into the mountains themselves.

"This time we'll need to be extra cautious," Fox said. "These tunnels have probably been here for centuries and at the same time extremely fragile."

The two of them carefully made their way inside, using flashlights to cut through the darkness. "So which way?" Krystal asked.

Fox's gauntlet lit up as it showed a miniaturized version of the cave system. "East goes deeper inside so that's our best bet. Let's pray there isn't an avalanche."

The further down they went, the colder it seemed to get but on a planet like Fichina it wasn't surprising. Fox's guess was that if they were going to find something, it would be all the way done."

"You know, these tunnels seem too neat to be made by nature," Krystal commented as they continued further inside.

"You think the people who did the murals were the ones who made them?" Fox asked. His signal was starting to get weaker, meaning they were going to lose their map, and rely on their navigation, very soon.

"I don't know, maybe," Krystal replied. "I wonder if Fichina was always this cold. Cerinia has a whole different climate than here and I can't imagine anyone in the Lylat System wanting to live here."

"I spent a few months on Katina in the summer while at the Academy," Fox said. Being so close to Solar, the worst months on Katina saw temperatures almost up to one hundred twenty degrees. "I'd pick here over Katina in a heart beat." Suddenly, the map on his arm disappeared. "Well, looks like we have to figure out the rest of our way now."

"Can we still contact Katt?" Krystal asked.

"We can if we switch to low frequency," Fox said. As they continued on, it was then he started to notice markings on the wall. "Looks like we're getting closer." The markings they saw were random, depicting different scenes, such as a family in what looked like a home, and another consisting of what looked like some sort of festival. "Guess they knew how to party hard on Fichina." They probably had to too.

"We have to be close to the bottom now," Krystal said. "But I still wonder why everything has been hidden? It's like they didn't want to be found."

"I don't think that's a question anyone can answer now," Fox said.

* * *

(A/N: For this next part, the song I'm using is "Severnaya" from Goldeneye 007.)

* * *

Katt looked and acted bored, glancing around her surroundings with the sniper rifle equipped with her. If you loved snow and white mountains this was your destination. It was also quiet too, which was kind of nice although for her it was maybe too quiet.

Suddenly her comm went off. "How's it going down there?"

Katt scoffed. "Falco, what a surprise. Were you thinking of joining me?"

"Hardly," Falco chuckled. "Fichina ain't my kind of planet."

"That makes too of us," Katt agreed. "Besides, Zoness is the place to be."

"Yeah, now that the ocean is actually blue and not a murky brown." Falco paused for a moment. "Look, I don't mean to pry but-"

"You're kind of doing it anyway," Katt sighed as she took another look through her scope. "What is it?"

"I understand what you went through but…you've been acting kind of weird, at least for someone like you."

Katt winced and was silent for a moment. "It was that obvious?"

"I know you better than most," Falco said. "Look, you know you can always talk to me about it."

"I'm fine, really Falco," Katt said. "I'm just…not sure what to make of all this. This whole mission I mean." In actuality, the mission itself wasn't the issue but deep down it was something she had to keep to herself, despite the consequences.

"We're all thinking that," Falco said. "I prefer standard missions where I can fly and shoot something down but hey, it beats doing nothing around the ship. Speaking of ships, you should've seen the hunk of junk we used to fly in."

Suddenly something caught Katt's eye. "She looked through the scope and saw it was a ship, but no designated markings. "Listen Falco, this is nice and all but I'm gonna have to call you back, I got company." *She then changed frequencies. "Fox, I hope you're wrapping things up down there cause you're gonna have a welcoming party after all." Luckily, the ship landed far enough from her position that she wouldn't be spotted. She aimed her rifle towards the side of the ship. "Alright fellas, who's up first?"

She didn't have to wait long once the ship landed and the ramp descended. As soon as she saw the first victim in her sights, she pulled the trigger. The sound of the rifle echoed throughout the mountainside and the team on the shuttle were welcomed by a horrible surprise as one of their own went down and blood splattered everywhere.

The mercenaries quickly took up defensive positions as one half broke off, most likely to go off and find Krystal and Fox. Katt did a quick mental check. She had two extra clips and her blaster, which at this distance wouldn't do her much. There was no way they could reach her but it would be almost too many for Fox and Krystal alone.

She peered out of cover. If there were any snipers on their side, this would get a lot more complicated. There were no clean shots but she did see one soldier who mistakenly left part of his side exposed. The bullet wound two seconds later would cause him to bleed out. Two of the soldiers opened fire, most likely to give the others cover or to expose her, but she was smarter than that.

"This is all I can do little man," Katt muttered. "You're on your own for the rest of them…"

* * *

Fox and Krystal finally reached what appeared to be the end of the tunnel. "It has to be here," Fox said, scanning the walls for anything. "Wait…" He then found what looked like more writing.

"_But only those in our blood will find the way, invisible to others…"_

"You found it?" Krystal asked. She then read it for herself. "…Our blood? It must be talking about the Cerinians."

"Invisible to others…" Fox said. "Which means you're the only one who can truly guide us Krystal."

"It's too early to say that," Krystal said. "But we got what we came for so-"

Suddenly, Fox's comm went off. "Fox, I hope you're wrapping things up down there cause you're gonna have a welcoming party after all."

Fox cursed slightly. "Just our luck…" He then answered. "Alright Katt, we're on our way back." He then looked at Krystal. "All we have are our blasters so we'll have to get creative on this one."

As they headed back, they had to turn their flashlights so they wouldn't be spotted and it was up to Krystal to detect their movements. "Hold on, just up ahead, there are three of them," Krystal then said. She then raised her blaster. "Right about…now." On cue, there were three soldiers just ahead of them coming in the opposite direction. Both she and Fox took aim and fired, taking out all three soldiers at once.

"I'm sure there'll be more of them," Fox said. He contacted Katt. "Katt, how are you holding up?"

"Oh there you are," Katt replied, almost sounding amused. "I got grunts shooting at me, but nothing I can't handle. It looked like they were trying to sabotage the shuttle but I took care of them for you."

"We owe you one then," Fox said. "How many are left?"

"It's not a huge group, but I'd say maybe ten or so, maybe less if you're still talking."

"Don't worry, we're almost out of here," Fox said. He then ducked as gunfire erupted in front of him. He then took careful aim and got two of them in the chest and one in the stomach. Apparently their body armor wasn't as tough as it looked.

Katt meanwhile hadn't been completely truthful. Most of these guys were grunts but some had decided to bring rifles of their own and take her out themselves. Then, much to her horror, she saw one with a rocket launcher. Two scenarios played in her head, both bad: either he was just going to snuff her out with a rocket or cause an avalanche behind her and let nature do the work. Either way, rockets were very bad and she had to take the risk of exposing herself in order to take him out.

The plan worked mostly: not only was she able to take the heavy out, the bullet itself hit the rocket, causing it to explode and take out his friends as well. The cost was getting hit in the shoulder. Luckily, it was not the shoulder she was using to aim and the bullet passed through but the pain was going to hit her very soon.

She heard more gunfire below and saw that Fox and Krystal had finally made it back out. Once the gunfire finally died away she laid back, wincing when she moved her shoulder. This just wasn't her week.

* * *

FoxMcCloud7921


	12. Old Friends, Old Enemies

(A/N: So I realize it's been awhile since I've last updated and I won't apologize, I was too busy playing Zero and stuff and I've loved every minute of it. Except Fichina…anyway I wanted to make a little announcement: after this story concludes any future Star Fox story I do will be based on Star Fox Zero since that officially is the new canon. I know it doesn't mean Adventures and beyond is no longer canon but I believe Nintendo is rebooting the whole storyline with these games so we'll see. Does it mean no more Krystal? At this point I can't say, but Platinum Games has said if they do future Star Fox titles she may return. Anyway, that's all I needed to say.)

* * *

Chapter 12: Old Friends, Old Enemies

"So all in all, not one of your better days?" Falco asked after Fox made his report in the briefing room.

Katt rolled her eyes. "It was a lucky shot…besides I'm still here breathing."

"Whoever this group is, they've been constantly tailing us," Fox said. "Which makes me think…"

"Someone on this crew is a mole?" Peppy asked.

"That can be the only way, unless somehow they planted a tracking device somewhere," Fox replied.

"I asked Slip to do a scan earlier but nothing's come up," Peppy said. "And this isn't a small crew so how will we find them?"

"Krystal can read minds can't she?" Falco asked.

"I can, but only if they're not keeping their thoughts in check. Besides, I'm sure most of these people are aware of my abilities," Krystal replied.

"That reminds me Fox, I think I know who our mystery group is," Slippy said. He then put his data up on the monitor. "Meet The Brotherhood, a mercenary group that started off on Corneria but now expands across the entire Lylat System."

Falco scoffed. "What a cheesy name."

"They themselves are no joke though," Slippy said. "Some of them are former military, others were former guns for hire. Nasty bunch."

"Good work Slippy, at least we have a name, but we need to find who hired them," Fox said.

"That's proving to be more difficult," Slippy said. "I've asked IT personnel here but even they can't seem to crack into their databases."

"So we'll just have to find one and get him to talk?" Katt suggested.

"I doubt they'll talk," Peppy said. "Anyway, we got bigger issues. I just got word from General Pepper: seems something big is happening on Macbeth cause military comms are going crazy and I heard the _Hornet _will be our welcoming party."

Krystal smiled. "It has been awhile since we've seen them. If they're calling us it must be important."

"In the meantime, get your gear checked out and be ready to disembark immediately," Fox said.

* * *

(A/N: For this next part, the song I'm using is "Light is Green" from Halo 5.)

* * *

*"Star Fox, I wish we could be seeing each other under different circumstances," Captain Hill of the _Hornet _said via hologram. "But it seems an old acquaintance of ours has popped up again on Macbeth."

"Remnants of Brynhilde's cronies?" Fox asked.

"We've been tracking them for the past few weeks but we didn't imagine to find them so close by," Hill said. "They managed to sneak in undetected and build themselves quite the base. The whole thing seems off but I'm starting to wonder if there's more to it."

"I think I may have an idea sir but I'll have to explain to you afterwards," Krystal told him.

Suddenly a border collie mix stepped in. "We were about to send in our troops but the enemy caught us by surprise by attacking one of our nearby bases. It's a real firefight down there and we can use all the help we can get."

"Not a problem," Fox said. "We'll clean up the mess."

"Again, you have our thanks," Hill said before the transmission cut off.

"Heh, I was wondering when we'd get some true practice in," Falco said.

"And it's about time to give my ship some much needed test runs," Katt said.

"Alright guys, let's move out!" Fox said.

* * *

The five ships departed from the _Great Fox _towards planet Macbeth. "I tell you, this planet can't catch a break," Falco said. "Still in Andross' shadow it seems."

"I'm getting a lot of chatter on the surface and it sounds as bad as it seems," Slippy said.

Fox opened up all comms. _"All units be advised, support units are on the way keep your eyes open." _"At least they're expecting us," Fox commented. "Alright everyone, we're going in hot so pick your targets and go!"

The ships quickly nosedived into Macbeth's atmosphere, the flames from reentry depicting them like shooting stars. As they cleared through the clouds, the scene quickly turned chaotic as Cornerian and Venomian fighters clashed in the sky.

Fox and company quickly split up and engaged any enemy targets. It seemed the enemy recognized them right away and moved to intercept but Fox quickly turned and fired, taking down three craft at once. "Want to make a wager Falco?"

"First to twenty? You're on McCloud," Falco smirked.

"Hey, I want in too!" Slippy said as he took down an enemy ship.

Fox's HUD alerted him that he was being locked on from behind and quickly did a somersault before taking out the pursuing ship. Looking around, it seemed like the battle was mostly aerial, although there were Cornerian soldiers on the ground manning anti-aircraft turrets.

"Heh, I'm already at twelve Fox, sure you still got this?" Falco asked.

"It's not over yet," Fox said. The tide was quickly turning and while there wasn't much chatter, there was a sense that the Venomian pilots were in a panic and the Cornerians were using this to their advantage.

"We're sure glad to have you guys here," one of the Cornerian pilots commented.

* * *

(A/N: For this next part, the song I'm using is "Sector γ" from Star Fox Zero.)

* * *

There was one ship that caught Fox's attention and he started flying towards it. Falco seemed to be getting the same idea and it was obvious they were both one ship away. However, before either of them could pull the trigger, the ship suddenly exploded.

"And that makes twenty, I guess I win this one boys," Krystal said quite smugly.

"What!?" Falco snapped.

"Looks like someone wasn't paying close attention," Katt commented.

Fox could only shrug his shoulders in defeat. Suddenly his radar went off. "Hold on, I'm picking up something from the west…more fighters incoming."

"I see them, and there's more than fighters," Falco said. *"Shoot, bombers are on the way! They're targeting the base!"

"All ships move in to intercept!" Fox ordered. The convoy was enough to keep them distracted while the bombers moved in. "The armor on those ships looks tough so give it everything you have!"

"It's time to try out my new weapon," Katt said as she accelerated. She quickly targeted three ships on her HUD before pressing a button. Her ship fired what looked like one large missile but it then broke into three smaller missiles which crashed into the targets, causing them to explode instantly.

"Cluster missiles, that's impressive!" Slippy said.

"You're telling me," Katt said. "I've never heard my ship purr quite like this in a long time."

"Alright, Falco and I will target the bombers, the rest of you keep the other fighters off of us!" Fox ordered.

"Make way for Katt," Katt said as she took and fired her lasers, taking out two more ships.

Falco quickly targeted one of the bombers and fired, which only caused the ship to wobble despite taking damage. _"No kidding…"_ Both pilots were hell bent on reaching the base no matter what. Finally, the first bomber's ship caught fire and went crashing down, it's payload taking out the entire ship but was luckily out of reach of the base. "You take care of the other one Fox!"

Fox quickly tailed the other bomber and fired. The bomber was not as maneuverable as the typical fighter but it was making quite the effort to dodge his attacks. A lone fighter came from his 9 o'clock and he had to move out of the way to avoid a collision. He stayed on target and even launched a nova bomb to knock out its stabilizers.

* * *

(A/N: For this next part, the song I'm using is "Mission Complete" from Star Fox Zero.)

* * *

*That did the trick as the ship started veering off course and Fox fired again, taking out the engines as the ship crashed to the ground in a large explosion. Fox then regrouped with the others. "All ships report in."

"I'm good here!" Slippy said.

"I'm fine. Looks like our friends are finally high-tailing it," Falco said.

"That was some impressive flying Fox," Krystal commented.

"Not bad for a warm-up course," Katt said. "But the fun's just starting isn't it?"

"Peppy, we're heading back, anything from the _Hornet_?" Fox asked.

"Only that we're going to be meeting them on board once you guys get back," Peppy said. "Looks like there's more to do after all."

* * *

(A/N: For this last part, the song I'm using here is "Z10 Briefing" from Xenoblade Chronicles X.)

* * *

"I guess for most of you this is the first time on our ship," Hill said in the briefing room. "I hope it doesn't disappoint."

"The new generation of Cornerian frigates huh?" Fox asked.

"That's what we're hoping for," the border collie said. "It's a hell of a lot faster than the old clunkers that's for sure."

"It's good to see you again Corporal Savannah," Krystal said.

"Actually, it's Sergeant First Class now," Savannah said with a smile. "But the feeling is mutual."

"Yeah, and unfortunately she's decided to go train another squad," an Akita Inu said, accompanied by an Alaskan Klee Kai, a Maine Coon, and a leopard.

"You guys can't be the only ones who get all the glory, besides it wasn't my choice," Savannah said. "Command wants to make the best of what we have. And be careful Typhon, don't let the recent promotion get to your head."

"Too late for that," Nel, the Klee Kai, said.

"Well, now that we have everyone here, Sirius Squad included, we can get to this meeting," Hill said. *"While the battle was going on, we did some more recon of the enemy base." He pulled up pictures recently taken. "It seems we were right, they're looking for something here alright and they're piling up all the resources they can."

"How can an entire army get past Cornerian defenses so easily?" Wedge, the Maine Coon, asked.

"Actually, they got rather clever about it," Savannah said. "They managed to steal a few frigates, old frigates no longer registered in the database, and that's where their weapons and ships came from. Macbeth is still reeling from the Lylat Wars and the more recent Aparoid Invasion."

"The point is, what are they looking for?" Hill asked.

"I think we know the answer to that," Falco said. "Seems our ape friends are on the hunt too."

"General Brynhilde had a map that contained a location for old Cerinian resources, whether they'd be artifacts, weapons, who knows," Fox elaborated. "They'd be worth quite a lot on the black market."

"And funds are probably what they need," Katt said.

"Our plan is to hit the base, and hit it hard, but we know they're going to put up a hell of a fight considering they've nowhere else to go," Savannah said. "Our fighters will take care of their ground defenses, and meanwhile our ground troops will take care of the rest. I don't know what we'll find but if it's important to them, it's important to us."

"Krystal and I can take the ground," Fox said. He looked to Falco and the others. "I'm guessing you guys will take the air."

"Not a problem," Falco replied.

"Sirius Squad will accompany you then," Hill said.

"We'll give you guys plenty of time to find whatever you're looking for, right Corrin?" Typhon asked. The leopard glanced over and nodded. "Don't mind him, he never was much of a talker."

"Do we all understand the mission?" Hill asked. "Alright, all of you get prepped, we launch the attack in an hour."

* * *

FoxMcCloud7921


	13. Familiar Territory

(A/N: For this first part the song I'm using is "Fly by Night" from Halo Reach.)

* * *

Chapter 13: Familiar Territory

*The shuttle ride into Macbeth's atmosphere was not the most comfortable and it didn't get better as the ship rocked back and forth from laser fire. "Once we land we'll be just outside the base," Typhon explained. "Once our ships take care of their defenses, it should be a straight path up. Once we're inside you can look for whatever you need."

"We owe you guys one," Fox said with a smile.

"Tell you what, if we all make it through this, drinks are on you," Typhon said with a grin of his own.

"I won't argue with that."

Something then chimed throughout the ship. "Its go time," Typhon said, standing up and holding onto the bar overhead. "Nel, you, me, Fox and Krystal will take point. Wedge and Corrin, you two got our backs."

The shuttle started descending and soon both doors on the side where they were immediately met with gunfire. "Spread out and take it to them!" Nel said, jumping out and opening fire on the small infantry units about fifty meters from their position. Fox and Krystal followed her lead, picking out the units in the small canyon.

The base was developed in a strategic position. The small canyon leading to it was the only entrance to from the ground, making it perfect for ambushes. The area was also covered in small turret nests which were raining lead from above.

However, they were focused on the advancing soldiers they missed two things. One was Corrin, who was of course an exceptional shooter, and the other were the two Arwings that appeared above and fired upon the nests, decimating them instantly.

"You guys can thank me later," Falco said through Fox's comm. He and Slippy moved on towards the base's main defenses.

"Move on up but keep your eyes open," Typhon said. They made their way through the canyon towards the foot of the base.

"Man, with all this polluted air, I think I'd rather be on Cerinia right now," Wedge commented, earning a smile from Krystal.

Most of the outside turrets had been destroyed but the problem of getting in still remained. "A nova bomb would be enough to blow through that but we'd probably get incinerated as well," Fox said.

"We already got that taken care of," Nel said. "Would you like to do the honors Wedge?"

"Sure thing, but make sure I don't get my tail blown off," Wedge said as he took the small bag he had with him and made his way towards the large door. He started placing C4 in a small area the size of a door. "We can't take the whole thing down but we can make enough room to squeeze in. The blast should weaken the rest of it so our ships can take down the rest if need be…alright got it. Everyone stand clear!" He quickly made his way back to them and got in cover. "Knock knock…"

He pressed the detonator and the sudden explosion ended up taking out more than expected, creating a rather wide hole. "Never fail to impress Wedge," Typhon commented.

"You want the boom, you've come to the right cat," Wedge said.

The group went to the edge and hugged the wall. "What do you think?" Fox asked.

Krystal peered her head inside for a moment and whipped back as laser fire erupted. "I'd say a pretty good size…" she said dryly.

"Oh I'll handle this…" Typhon said, checking the grenade launcher attached to his rifle. He looked in and fired a round which lobbed across the floor. He sighed as the sudden explosion took out about five soldiers. "You'd think they'd know better about clustering together. Alright move up to cover!"

They moved ahead, exchanging gunfire. "So where to next?" Nel practically yelled over the bullets zinging back and forth.

"If there's anything it would be in a lab, probably below us," Fox said. He looked around. "There's an elevator just ahead. Think you guys can give us a little cover?"

"Does a foxhound shit in the woods?" Typhon asked.

"Actually no he probably uses a toilet like everyone else," Nel teased. "We got your back."

Fox and Krystal made their way towards the elevator while taking out a few of the enemy soldiers. Fox smashed the button and by luck the door opened immediately. Krystal hit the bottom floor and the doors closed immediately. Fox then switched to his blaster. "I don't know if anyone will be waiting for us but there's probably a lot of sensitive equipment below."

However, much to their surprise the lab underneath appeared to be empty, of people that is. "It seems everyone took off and left," Krystal said. "But all the equipment appears to be here still."

Fox looked around and saw pictures on one of the tables. "I guess we won't have to look too far after all," he said, picking up a picture. "They already found the message."

"So they were after the same thing after all," Krystal said. "But why bother at this point? It's only one part of the puzzle."

"I wonder…" Fox then took the photo and put it in one of his pockets. "Let's go back to the others."

The ground suddenly shook. "Looks like we're missing all the fun," Krystal said.

(A/N: For this next part the song I'm using is "Mobile Weapon Gigarilla" from Star Fox Zero.)

They got back to the ground floor and met with Sirius Squad, realizing the area was clear. "Is that an artillery strike?" Fox asked.

"I don't think so, that felt like it was coming from further in the base…" Typhon said.

Suddenly the hangar doors in front of them started opening and even through the small gap they could see something huge. "That can't be good…" Wedge said.

*The thing on the other side was rather huge, almost four stories high and from the look of it it was almost a replica of a gorilla. "What the hell is that!?" Nel said.

"No way, it can't be!" Typhon said.

"Typhon?" Krystal asked.

"What you see now was a secret project conducted during the First Lylat Wars," Typhon said. "Codenamed the Gigarilla, this thing is nearly indestructible and could take down practically anything, fighters, artillery you name it."

"And they somehow built it?" Fox said.

"Someone apparently had the plans," Typhon replied. "There's no way we can take this thing on." The Gigarilla then activated, the lights in its eyes turning red. "And now would be a good time to hide."

They quickly got to cover before the mech's sensors could pick them up. "Sirius to _Hornet_, come in!" Nel almost yelled into her comm.

"What's the situation Sirius?" Hill's voice came through.

"It's bad, we got ourselves an indestructible mech on our hands in the middle of the base, nothing's going to break through that armor."

"It's the Gigarilla sir," Typhon said.

"You're right, it is bad." Hill was silent for a moment. "Can you keep it distracted?"

"Are you serious!?" Typhon growled.

"It may be resistant to artillery but I doubt it can withstand an orbital bombardment," Hill replied. "We'll have everyone pull out but you got to keep that thing within the base for this to work cause we only have one shot at this."

"We'll do what we can sir, Sirius out," Nel said.

"Unbelievable, how could this all have gone FUBAR?" Wedge groaned.

"Wait…we just have to keep it contained right?" Krystal said.

"Yeah, but that thing could probably punch through steel like its paper," Typhon said.

"Then we just need to delay it from getting out," Krystal continued. "Wedge, how much C4 do you have left?"

"Probably not enough to take this entire base down," Wedge said.

"Then we'll have to find weak points," Fox said. "If we spread out enough, it won't be able to focus on us all at once. Any volunteers to be the bait?"

"Ah screw it," Typhon said. "Might as well be me."

Wedge gave each of them a small amount of C4. "Any explosive material would help too so keep that in mind."

"Are we ready?" Typhon asked.

"Just don't let it go to your head," Nel said.

Typhon chuckled. "Never." He then went out and fired his rifle. "Hey ya big ugly hunk of metal! Think you're so scary huh!?"

The Gigarilla quickly identified him and started marching in his direction. "Go!" Nel said. The group split up and covered different parts of the base, applying C4 and looking for any explosive material, whether it was oil, gas, etc.

"C4's planted here," Fox said. "How's everyone else?"

"Ready," Krystal said.

"This had better work," Nel said.

"Explosives planted," Corrin said, the rare moment where he actually spoke.

Meanwhile, Typhon had to run pretty fast to stay ahead of the big machine. "Ha…that all you got?" The Gigarilla raised its palms and reds beams of energy appeared. "Aw son of a-" He had to hit the ground to avoid being hit by spherical shapes of energy. "I hope you guys are done over there!"

"We need a small distraction to occupy him as we leave," Nel yelled.

"I think I have just the thing," Wedge said. "Might want to cover your eyes!" He threw a medium sized object and upon hitting the ground it light up with flashing colors similar to a strobe light.

As was expected, the lights seemed to attract the Gigarilla as it turned around and went towards the object. Fox and Co. made their way out of the base as quickly as they could. "Hit it!" Typhon said.

Wedge hit the detonator and the base quickly lit up, causing debris from the ceiling to come raining down. Thankfully a shuttle had just arrived to pick them up. "Captain, I hope you're ready cause that thing isn't going to stay down long," Fox said.

"We're in position so you better move out now," Hill said.

"You heard the man," Typhon said to the pilot. "Full speed ahead!"

The pilot nodded and the shuttle quickly took off in the opposite direction. Looking back, Krystal saw a large beam of light descend from what looked like the heavens and fell upon the base, obliterating everything in the vicinity.

"So…" Nel then said with a wry smile. "Mission Accomplished?"

* * *

(A/N: For this last part the song I'm using is "Mission Accomplished" from Star Fox Zero.)

* * *

*"The mission was a complete success and no small part on your efforts," Hill said via monitor. "We on behalf of the Cornerian Forces thank you for your help Star Fox."

"It's no problem Captain," Fox said. "You sure you can handle the rest?"

"We'll need to make sure that abomination is truly dead first, but I think we can handle it, along with the rest of our other friends. If you're heading to Titania I wish you luck, that place is a death trap."

"It always is Captain," Fox said. "When this is over, we're all stopping by and getting a few rounds."

"I will gladly accept," Hill said. "Take care of yourselves and good luck on your mission." The transmission then ended.

"Man, do we really have to go there of all places?" Slippy asked.

"What's wrong Toad, having bad memories?" Falco quipped.

"N-No, the dry heat is just bad for my skin that's all…" Slippy said.

The whole group laughed. "I think we all deserve a much needed rest. ROB let us know when we're within range of Titania," Fox said.

* * *

FoxMcCloud7921


	14. Foxes in the Desert

Chapter 14: Foxes in the Desert

_Valiant Edge_

Fay was quietly eating her supper while staring at the computer screen. She wouldn't admit it out loud but the chef on this ship was pretty good. Nor would she admit she finally met her match in a game of chess.

How long has she been here, she wondered. She lost track after the first week...it has been about three weeks now. Unfortunately, all she could do in her room was stare at the laptop. She wasn't one of those typical girls who were glued to their phones 24/7 but it was the only thing keeping her from screaming her head off.

She thought fasting was her best way to rebel but stomach won over will. Besides, free food is free food and these weren't like those five minute meals you put in the microwave, this was fresh from the pantry. Hopefully the chef got paid well.

They were wise to give her a computer without Wi-Fi capabilities although what she really needed was a LAN cable. Her phone had unfortunately been confiscated upon capture and that could've easily helped her. She was a genius when it came to technology.

She paused her game and sat back on her bed, thinking. She still had no idea how Zaul found her. Hot Rodders were always good at staying under the radar, and Fay was no exception. She was good, but maybe Zaul was better.

She had been on Corneria of all places when it happened. She was responsible enough to be on her own, but she never stayed in one place too long. She was eating lunch just outside the park downtown in Corneria City. With the red bow she had, all anyone would think was she was just another cute girl minding her business.

She groaned as she then realized something. _"The hack...that's how he found me..." _There was this businessman, a fat tabby named Belarus, whose business was one of many businesses to bloom due to the recovering economy, unicorns they call them.

His business designed special parts for military grade weapons, such as radar, laser scopes, etc. Officially, it was contracted with the Cornerian Army. Unofficially, as Fay found out, the tabby was playing both sides, typical way of getting the most money.

Well, instead of becoming a whistleblower, Fay had a better idea. Belanus' security was rather piss poor and she easily hacked into the main accounts, stealing an average of thirty-five thousand credits each week due to malware she installed in their system. It was not supposed to be traceable, or so she thought. She sent the money to a private account and for a moment she felt entitled to do a little shopping.

It was at the park that it happened. She was sitting there, texting one of her fellow Hot Rodders when she saw a group of men approaching her. Their uniforms suggested they were police and for a moment Fay thought maybe she underestimated Belanus. She could've ran, but she wasn't good for long distance and they would've caught up to her eventually.

To her surprise, she wasn't escorted to his office but instead to a ship leaving Corneria. What was also odd that they were treating her... respectfully, despite this clearly being a kidnapping. Then it all became clear: someone had been looking for her and the hack had given her away. Guess there really was someone better than her out there...

Fay got up and put her tray near the door where a guard in a few minutes would come pick it up. It was this exact ship she was taken to. Upon meeting Zaul, he was quick to inform her that he was the one who found her while the hack was going on, managing to track down her IP address.

_"So am I here because I hacked a dirty businessman?" she asked._

_"No my dear, although I was impressed with what you did," Zaul replied. "No, unfortunately I needed a bargaining chip in order to get someone to cooperate with me. I'm sure you know Katt Monroe?"_

_Now Fay was curious about just what Katt got herself into. "And what makes you think she'll cooperate?"_

_"Why, because you and her are friends aren't you? Besides, Miss Monroe already accepted my demands not too long ago. She's dedicated to her comrades, wouldn't you say...?"_

Fay sighed and quit her current game, no longer interested. She was fortunate that the room she had had a window that showed space outside. She stared outside for a few moments.

_"Katt...I don't know what's going on but don't do anything stupid..."  
_

* * *

(A/N: For this part the song I'm using is "Titania" from Star Fox Zero.)

* * *

_Titania_

*Titania had always been a desolate and unforgiving planet but it seemed that every time Fox visited this planet the conditions seemed to worsen. On the bright side, there were no enemy fighters to deal with this time. Still, as Fox had made clear to his teammates: he hated this planet. Unfortunately, he and Krystal were the only ones on this mission since no one, especially Slippy, wanted to be part of it.

"Everything looks clear for now but I see a sandstorm forming in the distance," Fox said from inside the Landmaster. "We don't have much time to find shelter."

"Fortunately we're nearing our destination and it seems like there's some sort of wreckage ahead," Krystal said in her Arwing flying above him.

"Wreckage? From a ship?" It had been awhile since he had been on Titania but he hadn't heard any news concerning the planet recently.

"Most of it is buried but...it looks like a capital ship," Krystal replied.

"Alright, we'll stop there and wait for the storm to pass." He accelerated forward, his sensors now picking up the wreckage ahead. The back portion of the ship, still mostly intact, was sticking out of the ground. Once they were the foot of it, Fox put on his goggles and opened the hatch as Krystal landed near him. They were wearing garbs that would protect them from the sun and blistering sand.

"We're in luck," Fox said, pointing ahead. "There's a cave that should lead us right inside."

"Fox...are you sure we should go in there?" Krystal asked.

"If it's Cornerian, Pepper needs to know what happened."

Krystal nodded as the two headed inside. The cave lead to the front end of the ship which, from their perspective, was huge. "I think this is the closest I've been to a Cornerian ship," Krystal commented.

Fox then noticed the damage on the starboard side. "This ship engaged in battle no doubt about it... but against who?"

Suddenly alarms rang in Krystal's head as she suddenly felt multiple presences. "Fox we have company!"

They appeared before Fox could react; soldiers surrounded them, their laser sights dancing all over them. "Cornerians?" Fox wondered.

"Stand down, stand down!" A female tan German Shepherd appeared and stood in front of them. "Fox McCloud?"

"That's me," Fox replied.

The woman then smiled. "I don't know what you're doing out here but we're sure glad to see you."

"You're all survivors?" Fox asked.

"That's right," the Shepherd said. "I'm Major Kaitlin Tanner of the _CSS Enforcer._ The Admiral is inside and he'll explain more."

They were then led to the ship where the major punched in a code to open the side door. "The ship is still operational?" Krystal asked.

Tanner chuckled. "There's a story to that as well. The ship had low power ever since crashing but we managed to create our own solar panels, and sunlight certainly isn't sparce on this planet."

The damage inside was still evident but it looked as if some of the secondary systems along with life support were still operational. They were then taken to the bridge where a large red tailed hawk was talking to an aide.

Tanner then went up and saluted. "Admiral, we have some special guests."

The admiral turned around and upon seeing them he couldn't help but grin. "Well I'll be damned...never thought I'd be having Star Fox come visit us. Took you long enough. I'm Admiral Terrence Fisher of the _CFS Enforcer_, or at least what's left of it. I'm sure you have plenty of questions, as well do I so let us discuss somewhere a bit more private.

* * *

The four of them moved to the admiral's quarters, which appeared to still be intact. "I had been assuming since we hadn't heard from anyone in about a year that we were written off as dead, but it seems now that isn't the case," Fisher said.

"Unfortunately sir, we weren't aware there was anyone on this planet," Fox explained. "We had our own reasons for coming here but I can assure you we're more than willing to help."

Tanner sighed. "So it was more based on luck huh?" she asked. "Guess we can't complain…"

"I guess I should start from the beginning," Fisher said. "Originally there were three ships: the _Enforcer_, the _Renegade_, and the _Destiny_. When the "Second Lylat Wars" broke out, General Pepper wanted to do a pincer approach, surround Venom on both sides. He believed that the Venomian forces were expecting a front near Fortuna and therefore we could sneak around the back and flank them. That was our objective and we were to go around Titania and surprise them."

"It didn't work out that way," Tanner added.

Fisher sighed this time. "As it turned out, _we _were the ones surprised. Oikonny must've seen through our ruse, or he was just that paranoid. Either way, we were caught in an ambush and were outgunned. The _Renegade _and _Destiny _were both destroyed and we crash landed where we are now. We lost half our crew just from the impact."

"And you've survived all this time?" Krystal asked.

"It wasn't easy but we were fortunate enough to have most of our equipment and food storages still intact. But we're starting to run low and we can't ration forever. Still, seeing you two is a most welcoming sign."

"If I may ask," Tanner stated. "How did the war turn out? It's over right?"

Fox and Krystal looked to each other, not sure how to answer. "What? We didn't...lose did we?"

"I think it's our turn to catch you all up," Fox said.

After both he and Krystal explained what had happened in the last year, both Tanner and Fisher looked as if they aged about five years. "My god…" Fisher said. "An entire sentinel race hell-bent on annihilation… I almost think we were fortunate to end up where we did. I have no doubts if we had been on Corneria we'd all be dead…"

"So let me get this straight," Tanner said. "There's apparently a ruin of a lost civilization somewhere on this planet and that's why you're here?"

"Yes, even I was surprised to hear about that," Krystal replied.

"Well, they do say Titania used to be a planet with as much water as Corneria, but that was probably millions of years ago," Fisher said. "But now that you mention it…"

There was a slight pause. "Yes?" Fox urged him.

"Well, when the ship first crashed here, we actually came upon an old cave system, one that probably hasn't been used in centuries mind you. But Tanner here did say she noticed something odd."

"We sent a search team to check out the perimeter; we wanted to make sure we didn't have any neighbors who were eager to feast on us," Tanner replied, crossing her arms. "We didn't go out too far but that system went out quite a ways."

"So we may be in the right place after all," Fox said. "Admiral, you mind if we take a look around?"

"Be my guest," Fisher replied. "In fact, I'll even have Tanner and her team back you up, it's the least I can do for your help and the exciting stories. Major, you might want to pack heavy. There's no telling what's down there."

"Understood sir," Tanner said, saluting. She then smiled at Fox. "Any opportunity to fight alongside Star Fox is always an honor."

* * *

(A/N: So I apologize for the long wait. I've been busy with other projects and the holidays so again sorry for the delay. I realize now I really need to finish this story.)

FoxMcCloud7921


End file.
